The Fires of Vengeance

The Burning #2

by Evan Winter

Desperate to delay an impending attack by the indigenous people of Xidda, Tau and his queen 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 reunite her people, then the Omehi might have a chance to survive the coming onslaught.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Dragons, Audiobook, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Adult

544 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 10, 2020

About the author

Evan Winter, winner of the Reddit/Fantasy Award for Best Debut Fantasy Novel (2019), is a Barnes & Nobles, Amazon, and Locus best selling author of speculative fiction. His debut novel, THE RAGE OF DRAGONS, is the opening to an epic fantasy quartet that began life as a self-published novel before being acquired by Hachette's Orbit Books. Most recently, TIME magazine named it one THE 100 BEST FANTASY BOOKS OF ALL TIME, and its sequel has received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, and Booklist.

Reviews

[Petrik · Rating 5 out of 5]

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ARC provided by the publisher—Orbit—in exchange for an honest review.

The Fires of Vengeance is an excellent sequel. If Winter can keep this impressive quality up for the remaining two books, the series is guaranteed to be included in many fantasy reader’s lists of favorite fantasy series.

Two things first. One, can we first appreciate that cover art by Karla Ortiz? The cover art of this series is simply stunning. Just look at it, I thought the cover art of The Rage of Dragons was superb already, but Ortiz managed to create an even better one for The Fires of Vengeance. Second, I want to thank Winter for writing this novel; it appeared to me at the right time. Last month was one of—if not—the worst reading month I’ve ever had in my reading career. I’m not kidding; half of the total number of books I read last month received a 3-stars or below rating from me. Two books I read in September actually took me eight days of struggle to finish even though they’re about 700 pages long. For comparison, none of the books in The Stormlight Archives or Malazan Book of the Fallen ever took me more than a week to finish even though they’re like 500 pages longer. The Fires of Vengeance, though, oh my goodness, I must say, it felt so damn satisfying to read an epic fantasy novel that’s equally page-turning, intense, and emotional again.

“Keep fighting and I swear that before it consumes us, we’ll burn our pain to ash in the fires of vengeance.”

The Fires of Vengeance is the second book in The Burning quartet by Evan Winter, and it’s the sequel to the blazing debut The Rage of Dragons. In my honest opinion, The Fires of Vengeance successfully took the wonderful foundations established in the first book, and Winter ignites them to a new height. As the stories continue immediately from where the first book left off, Tau’s quest for revenge continues to be the main driving strength of the plot. However, at its core, I like to believe that The Fires of Vengeance is not only about revenge; it’s about resistance, it’s about finding and accumulating the collective strength to fight back against injustice. Enough is enough, and I loved reading about it. Plus, we also get to learn a great deal about the world-building and history of the series here, especially regarding Isihogo, the Caste, and The Cull.

“There’s more of us than them, and when we finally refuse to survive on the scraps they throw us, our numbers will make all the difference.”

Similar to the first book, most of the narrative is told from Tau’s POV. I have to say, the more I read about Tau, the more similar he and Darrow from Red Rising Saga by Pierce Brown became, and I loved it. I know Darrow isn’t a popularly well-liked character among many readers of the series, but there’s something extraordinarily adrenaline-pumping about his journey that compelled me insanely; that’s what I also get from reading this series. I highly enjoyed reading Tau’s inspiring determination; suffering and pain constantly visit him, but he won’t back down. One of the biggest improvements I found in this book, though, is related to fixing the small issue I had with the first book. In my review of The Rage of Dragons, I’ve mentioned that it’s a missed opportunity that the role of the female characters was close to non-existent despite being repeatedly praised as Gifted or powerful in the storyline. Thankfully, Winter has completely redeemed that issue with justice here. The addition of Queen Tsiora, Nyah, Esi, and many other strong female characters to the already great cast from the first book made the storyline more exciting, and more importantly, it made me care towards more characters than before. This is what I wanted and expected from the text in the first book, and Winter delivered them satisfyingly with incredible precision.

“Nyah told me that life, like love, is meant to be shared and that we are least linked to our own selves when we have no one with whom to share what we are. None of us are meant to go through this life alone.”

Speaking of characters, either I have forgotten how good Winter was in the first book, or he has tremendously improved his strength in characterizations here. It’s understandably easy to get caught up in Tau and his journey, but if you haven’t read this book, I want you to pay attention to the few non-Tau’s POV chapters when you get to this book. For example, there was this one short chapter told from a new POV character named Duma, and Winter managed to make me care about this character within a few pages. I’ve read books that take me two or three full novels to get me invested in a character. Winter, like many other fantastic authors, did it in a few pages; that’s something magnificent. I have always wondered how Tau looked like in the eyes of his villains, and when Winter put one of the villains as the POV chapters, his talent for characterizations truly shines. From the villain’s perspective, it makes you really wonder who’s the real villain here; Tau himself looked like a demon from their view. When it comes down to it, the conflicts could be boils down to the fact that both sides think they’re in the right.

“You call me a monster because I won’t let you treat me like my life is worthless, a thing to be used and thrown away?” it said. “You call me a monster because I refuse to live like you think I deserve? If that’s what you mean by monster, watch me be monstrous!”

It felt so effortless for me to submerge myself into Winter’s engaging writing and well-written action sequences. The pacing and momentum building in The Fires of Vengeance were impeccable. Winter has a talent for pacing his narrative and building the emotions within each scene gradually before finally exploding them in immersive violent confrontations. Oh yes, believe me, this sequel is a much more violent and bloody—with more dragons and demons—novel than its predecessor. The reminiscent-to-Dark Souls training montage made a return, the tension-packed duels were spectacular, and the scale of the violence in this sequel gets more brutal and destructive. Tau’s wrath left blood in his path, and who remained from the ruin will continue to do the same. Vengeance begets vengeance. Blood begets blood. Death begets death. It’s a never-ending loop of sorrow and loss. Maybe the price of war can be measured by the number of victims of atrocities. Reading Winter’s action sequences is a delight and gripping experience because they’re so well-written and vivid, but what made Winter’s action sequences even better was the empathizing emotional conflicts and intensely important themes attached to the battles.

“Rage reaches into the world when we can no longer contain the hurt of being treated as if our life and loves do not matter. Rage, and its consequences, are what we get when the world refuses to change for anything less.”

I’ve read and reviewed more than 400 fantasy books now, and my instincts scream that The Fires of Vengeance has efficaciously proven Evan Winter as a future big-name in the fantasy genre. This is, without a shadow of a doubt, an exceptional sequel that succeeded over its incredible predecessor. The characterizations are better, the stakes are higher, the scales of the battles are bigger, and the devastations inflicted are grimmer. The Fires of Vengeance is being released next month in November alongside other future best-selling books in the epic fantasy genre like Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson, The Burning God by Rebecca Kuang, Call of the Bone Ships by R.J. Barker, The Stone Knife by Anna Stephens, and several more. I’m confident in saying that you would be giving yourself a massive disservice if you decided to skip on this in favor of the others. Instead, here’s a better option, buy/borrow and read them all. Consider November as a celebratory month to treat yourself, and consume this absorbing story about war, resistance, camaraderie, and justice.

“Evil must be punished or it will continue undeterred until it consumes all that is good.”

Official release date: 12th November 2020 (UK) and 10th November 2020 (US)

You can pre-order the book from: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository (Free shipping) | Bookshop (Support Local Bookstores!)

The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions

Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!

My Patrons: Alfred, Alya, Annabeth, Devin, Diana, Hamad, Helen, Jimmy Nutts, Joie, Michelle, Mike, Miracle, Nicholas, Zoe.

[William Gwynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 100th review on Goodreads. And what a book to fill that position. I have loved writing each one, and hope to create many more.

My expanded review is on BookNest:

BookNest - The Fires of Vengeance

My favourite read of 2021, so far!

The Fires of Vengeance is the second instalment in The Burning, by Evan Winter. So far, this series is what I would call a masterpiece. I enjoy most books, but rarely do I have no complaint at all. The Firs of Vengeance accompanies The Rage of Dragons in providing a perfect reading experience for me.

When I started reading this, I expected to love it. But, The Rage of Dragons was so brilliant and had so many unique plotting points that I thought this second instalment would not quite reach its predecessor. I am happy to say that I was wrong. So, so wrong. The Fires of Vengeance elevated the groundwork of the previous book to a whole new level of epic.

Before I continue, this is a spoiler-free review, but there might be a few references to The Rage of Dragons. If you have not read the first instalment in this series, I urge you to stop reading right now, and rather, go and buy it both of these books!

This is a story that I loved in every way. From the eye-drawing cover, to the opening chapter that instantly makes it page-turning and immersive read. For a few nights running I just could not put it down. This is an eloquent tale that succeeds in providing a gripping tale, as well as showing the virtues and vices of human nature.

“Keep fighting, and I swear that before it consumes us, we’ll burn our pain to ash in the fires of vengeance”

Whilst The Rage of Dragons is one of my favourite books of all time, I had forgotten some of the intrinsics of the ending, and the roles of some characters as well. But Evan Winter subtly provides a summary throughout the first chapter that immersed me back into this world and had the plot up and running within ten pages without leaving the reader in confusion. This brilliant crafting of pace would set a precedent for the rest of the book.

The Rage of Dragons was described as having aspects of Game of Thrones and Gladiator. In contrast, The Fires of Vengeance does not revolve so much around arena combat as its predecessor does, but it still maintains the well-crafted dynamics between the members of Scale Jayyed. Whilst they are maturer now, it remains similar to Anthony Ryan’s Blood Song and Mark Lawrence’s Red Sister in continuing the always enjoyable tale of a group of friends forged through adversity.

Tau’s desire for vengeance is a driving force for this tale, but I love that Winter has provided extra layers that make this more than just a story for revenge. It shows the rifts in friendships, combats social constructs and offers a multifaceted story that is not simply Good VS Bad. Tau now has increased responsibilities as champion of Queen Tsiora. He continues to seek revenge, but must make compromises to maintain his role. He is faced with a whole new set of trials and tribulations, as he must either prioritise his duty, or his revenge. He continues to be a fantastic central character who acts as the almost continuous perspective.

I read a while back in Petrik’s review of The Fires of Vengeance that he found the rare chapters attributed to other characters to be a brilliant implementation from Evan Winter. I completely agree. It really showed that whilst I love Tau, from other perspectives he can be seen as a fearsome, monstrous figure. It added another layer of authenticity that showed that there are no clear-cut ‘right’ sides, and rather that each force has their own justifiable motivations, just as we see in our own history.

“Rage is love...twisted in on itself. Rage reaches into the world when we can no longer contain the hurt of being treated as if our life and loves do not matter. Rage, and its consequences, are what we get when the world refuses to change for anything less.”

Overall, I think it is clear that I loved this story. It is paced perfectly, with a wider array of enjoyable characters. It is punchy, intriguing, thought-provoking and really just everything I yearn for in a read. Epic fantasy at its best. It incorporates the right amount of characterisation and small scale interactions and partners it with shocking action sequences of a massive scale that are written beautifully, conveying the confusion of battle but keeping the reader in the loop at the same time.

5/5 STARS

[Melissa ♥ Dog/Wolf Lover ♥ Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars ⭐️

Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾

[Hamad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Review ✍️ Blog 📖 Twitter 🐦 Instagram 📷

“Keep fighting, and I swear that before it consumes us, we’ll burn our pain to ash in the fires of vengeance.”

The Rage of Dragons ★★★★ 1/4
The Fires of Vengeance ★★★★ 1/4

I read The Rage of Dragons earlier this year and really enjoyed it and i was so excited for this sequence. Thanks for the publisher for providing me with an E-ARC, all opinions are mine though.

Although I read The first book this year, I forgot some of the details because I read 130+ books this year, I found a spoilery video on youtube that refreshed my memory and it was a life-saver, the first pages work as a summary too and I liked that. I may focus on the things I did not like in this review but take it with a grain of salt because if you look at my rating you will know it was a pretty good book.



The book was very easy to get into and I like that, I don’t like it when I am confused for hundred of pages before things start to make sense. The plot continues after the tragical events of book 1. I don’t want to spoil anything in either books so I am not gonna elaborate further. But Tau is now preparing for war against Abasi Odili and that’s the main plot in this book.

“Lady Gifted, as far as I know, the only path to becoming what others cannot is to suffer what others will not.”

The characters are well written but there was a problem that bothered me a bit and it was communication between these different characters. I felt most of the characters were hot headed and wanted to achieve their own agendas without giving a fuck about the people around them and that’s just annoying because they all had titles they should live up to. When you are a Councillor or a champion or in charge of an army, try to act like it at least! Winter is still ferocious to his characters and they go through all kind of hardships in the book and we say goodbye to many of the characters so try not getting attached to any of them.

The world-building is as good as book 1, we get to explore the demon realm Isihigo much more than we did in book 1. Does the book have Dragons? It does a bit more than book 1 but it focuses on demons more which I thought was a bit bizarre but it was still cool in its own way!



Another thing that I certainly enjoyed in both books was how fast paced the book are, Winter is good at writing action scenes and the book is full of those, there is not a dull moment but maybe we should have some time to breathe a bit and slow down. It makes the book hard to put down, I finished the book in 3 days!

“Rage reaches into the world when we can no longer contain the hurt of being treated as if our life and loves do not matter. Rage, and its consequences, are what we get when the world refuses to change for anything less.”

Summary: I enjoyed The Fires of Vengeance as much as I did for The Rage of Dragons but for kind of different reasons. The book was fast paced, full of action and easy to get into. I would have preferred more character growth and them calming down a bit. Definitely excited for book 3 now!

[Mica Santos ⇢ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Afrikan (Xhosa) inspired Epic Fantasy

«The powerful had to be shown that people can only be pushed so close to the flame before they catch fire and burn everything down.»

This series is so well done, I don't give it a 5 ★ because of an issue that, for my taste, lacks details in world building. But we have everything an amazing epic fantasy book should have:

1) A great romance that is brewing very, very, VERY slowly.
2) Getting attached to the characters is going to be a painful experience.
3) Excellently choreographed battle scenes.
4) Short chapters, fast-paced, good character development, realistic dialogues and deep internal thoughts.
5) Different plot twists that are totally coherent and at the same time take our breath away.
6) Distinct civilizations (tribes) with diverse types of magic.
7) Two different worlds (and I can't say more without a spoiler).
8) Dragons & Demons.
9) Political schemes.
10) Warriors who become heroes, women who know how to lead and are strong and intelligent in their actions.

And much more...

«He thrived not because his pain was gone, but because he had found a way to use it against the forces that were trying to break him.»

Inspired by my friend Chris reviews, I leave some soundtracks for this series:

The War - SYML
Arsonist’s Lullabye - Hozier
Délivrance - Guem

Traducción en español en unas horas.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cant tell you how thrilled I was to receive an early copy of this book. The Rage of Dragons blew me a way and left me wondering why I hadn't picked it up sooner, a mistake I avoided making this time.
This is a fantasy of epic proportions, the world building, magic system, plot and political aspects of this book are meticulously thought out and executed in a superb manner. The writing is engaging and makes it easy to follow everything that's happening, and a lot happens (I won't give you any spoilers, I need you all to read this yourselves!).

The Fires of Vengeance picks up immediately after the Rage of Dragons and easily has one of the most well executed introductory recaps I have ever read! It didn't feel clunky or repetitive and didn't an excellent job of reminding me of small details I had forgotten since reading the first book.

Evan Winters did a stunning job here and it's hard to believe that this is his first series. I can't wait for the next two books!!

[Maddie Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

RATING BREAKDOWN
Characters: 4⭐️
Setting: 4⭐️
Plot: 5⭐️
Themes: 4⭐️
Emotional Impact: 4⭐️
Personal Enjoyment: 5⭐️
Total Rounded Average: 4.5⭐️

Wowsa! I love when a sequel can top an already incredible book one. I loved The Rage of Dragons, but The Fires of Vengeance capitalizes on everything the first book did well, from plot and pacing to a unique magic system, to high stakes and emotional impact. It built from there and delved into themes around revenge and mercy, justice and letting go, power and temperance.

Evan Winter is an impressive male voice in subplot romance as well, and it slow-burned so beautifully in this installment. Winter also knows how to get inside the head of the antagonist, and show their humanity in spite of their deep flaws. The blindness of prejudice is depicted with such sophistication here, as the prejudiced party is often so self-righteous and unaware. This is articulated brilliantly, proven by how much emotion it pulled out of me while reading. The rage I felt. While simultaneously feeling empathy. The confusion. The inner conflict. Winter is hitting on the complexity inherent in these issues and systems, and it shows such technical range, but also internal depth.

This installment just flowed because there was much less needed exposition and world-building since everything was established. It made every page a race to the end with so much happening so quickly.
The history of the world is expanded upon, and the stakes feel higher than ever at the climax. I was emotionally invested throughout and actually had to slow myself down, because I was enjoying it so much I didn't want it to end!

This is such a success and a truly promising series! I cannot wait for book 3. I highly recommend!

[Deborah Obida · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buddy read with Ikenna

“Rage is love … twisted in on itself,” he said, using some of the words she’d spoken to him on the night Zuri died. “Rage reaches into the world when we can no longer contain the hurt of being treated as if our life and loves do not matter. Rage, and its consequences, are what we get when the world refuses to change for anything less.”

The Fires of Vengence is the second book in The Burning series, I'm glad it didn't disappoint, I was a bit scared given that this series is the author's debut. My fears were unfounded, this book is as good as the first one with lots of improvements in writing, world building and character development.

For those who are unfamiliar with this series, this is an African inspired fantasy with an all African characters. There is friendship, great plot, well depicted fight scenes, amazing world building, romance and plot here, everything that makes a good fantasy book.

I mentioned earlier that the world building improved, I love it when authors gets better with each book. The writing not only improved but changed, the first book was written solely in Tau's POV, but this is written in multiple POV with Tau having most of the narratives.

The events in this book happened six months after the first book, not only is the kingdom facing external army, civil war is also brewing. We follow Tau, Tsiora the queen and his friends try their best to win the war.

Tau really changed, I loved that the change didn't happen overnight, it was a gradual process, in book 1 he only cared about vengeance, now he knows there's more to life than that.

Tsiora the queen wasn't what I expected at all, she's not only pious but compassionate and willing to listen to people around her.

Hadith is a genius, despite his age and caste he doesn't back down.

Kalan Okar is the character that surprised me most, him being a greater noble should hate Tau and his friends but instead he seeks their approval because not only is Tau a great swordsman but the queen choose him, that alone is enough for him.

[Eon Windrunner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the publisher (Orbit) in exchange for an honest review.

This review is spoiler free.

The Fires of Vengeance melts expectations; burning even hotter than the Rage of Dragons and blazing a trail for Evan Winter to join an elite group at the top of the fantasy pile.

I absolutely loved Evan Winter's first contribution to the fantasy genre, and ever since I finished the Rage of Dragons I had been counting the months to the sequel’s release and holding on to the hope of maybe even getting a chance to read it earlier. When I was offered an ARC, I jumped at the chance to read more about Tau and his journey on the path of vengeance and immediately made space in my schedule.

“Rage reaches into the world when we can no longer contain the hurt of being treated as if our life and loves do not matter. Rage, and its consequences, are what we get when the world refuses to change for anything less.”

First off, I once again want to commend Karla Ortiz on the artwork she has created that adorns the covers of this series. I thought she could not top the beautiful art she did for The Rage of Dragons, but I like the cover for Fires of Vengeance even better and can honestly say that it would make me buy this book even knowing nothing about it. It’s gorgeous and I would not be lying in saying I am overly excited to see the remaining two covers!

“I have died more times than the days I’ve lived”

The story picks up immediately after the climactic events of the first book, but I won't discuss those here at all for fear of possible spoilers. What I will say is that those events have a profound impact on our protagonist and greatly shapes him going forward.

Tau is still as driven as ever in his quest, but the situations he finds himself in forces him to see past his tunnel vision of vengeance and to glimpse other possible futures, giving him a chance to grow as a person and making the story all the more well rounded for it. While the story up to now was sufficiently carried by this singular goal of Tau’s to utterly destroy those who did him wrong, as a driver for the plot it did not seem sustainable for four books and I am ecstatic that there is now so much more to the story and main character. And while he is given the dragon’s share of development befitting the main character, Winter has not forgotten the rest of the cast, colouring in the empty spaces of the other players as well, giving us much more interesting characters, and apart from rage and its effects, also exploring the themes of brotherhood and camaraderie, family, friendship and love, all the while investing us even further in every possible fight, conversation, relationship and future.

"Grief, anger, they’ll hold you for a time. They must. But if you let them root and fester, they’ll become a hate that will consume you.”

Now to address the baby elephant in the first book’s room. As for my one complaint with The Rage of Dragons, it is non-existent here. That book has a distinct lack of noteworthy women as part of the main story. Yes, they were there in the background, and they were stated as powerful, but they seemed to take a back seat to the men in the story which is all the more unusual considering the matriarchal society. And upon rereading I also noticed a few instances of sexism and or misogyny from the male characters that I had previously missed and made me cringe. I fully expected Evan Winter to rectify these issues in the sequel though, as the groundwork for these powerful female characters had already been laid and I was not disappointed. The author excises everything that was wrong in that regard and venerates the female characters as they should always have been, giving them the stage and letting them shine.

The scope of the story has become much larger too as we are treated to further exploration of Xidda; her peoples, politics, history and lore are all expanded upon and there is so much to see and enjoy that you almost want to take a break from the relentless excitement to take it all in. Winter has up to now revealed only bits and pieces regarding the Omehi, but book two serves up an entire feast of new information that was thoroughly engrossing and whetted the appetite for what is surely setting up an explosive continuation of the series. There is just a LOT going on in this story, but it never feels overwhelming or confusing and it kicks off right from the get-go, setting a breakneck pace with revelations galore (I may have shouted out HOLY CRAP! more than once.) and exhilarating action packed in from beginning to end. Speaking of action…

The Rage of Dragons should have left readers in no doubt that Evan Winter's skill at writing combat scenes clearly announced him as brilliant in that regard, with pulse pounding, vivid and easy to follow fighting scenes that are as good as any you will read. The Fires of Vengeance only confirms these opinions with duels and battles that are even more ferocious and thrilling than what came before, and the story is filled with them as if Winter had a box full of them just waiting to be unpacked and gifted to us. It’s relentless and yet never drawn out, upping the ante continuously, ensuring that the pacing never suffers whilst presenting many riveting and cinematic sequences. If you are a fan of well written close quarter combat, then look no further. Winter excels at it.

The killing fields were covered with the dead, lying like unearthed worms across the ground as smoke cocooned the air like massive spiderwebs. Men, their mouths yawning wide in endless screams, died for an eternity, and in the sky was Black Wrath...

If you have not yet seen the writing between the lines, this book is extremely hard to put down. The writing gives over to effortless reading. The prose is always concise and engaging and perfectly balances plot and characterization with the above mentioned numerous action sequences. I could have easily consumed this story in one or two sittings had life not intervened, it was THAT gripping. In fact, I buddy read this with my co-blogger, Petrik, and the difference in page turning quality between this book and his previous read was like night and day for him. Consider yourself warned then that you may lose sleep! While most of the narrative is told from Tau’s perspective, there is a particular POV chapter in this book that was as BRUTAL as they come. At first I was puzzled as to the why of it, but it soon became clear that this was an inspired decision on Winter’s part, giving insight into a particularly harsh experience and the realities of it’s debilitating and unforgiving nature, while also providing a glimpse at our main characters from an outsider’s viewpoint. Brilliant!

The first book of The Burning quartet was a fantastic debut with minor issues, and I am convinced that any writer would be happy to repeat that writing feat, delivering more of the same. Evan Winter however did not rest on his laurels, and not only eviscerated the minor faults of the first book, but amplified what was already great about it, with a book that outclasses it’s predecessor in every department and sets an extremely high bar for books three and four. Simply put: This is a must read! And while it is difficult to imagine Winter surpassing the excellence of this second book, I have faith. The final pages of the story delivered a tantalising stopping point to the middle of the series, on the brink of a major event and setting up a possible war that may dwarf anything the story has given us so far.

“We may not be strong enough . . . ,” she whispered. “We may not have our tomorrow.”

Highly recommended.

***********************************************

Official release date:
• November 12th, 2020 (UK) & November 10th, 2020 (US)

You can pre-order the book from:
• Amazon UK
• Amazon US
• Book Depository (Free shipping)
• Bookshop (Support Local Bookstores.)

• The quotes in this review were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication.

• You can find this review and more at Novel Notions

[Becca & The Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am SO READY for book 3 in this series now!
I really enjoyed Rage of Dragons, but didn't really connect to Tao as a character because of how his single minded focus on his objective drains away any other element of his character, this isn't really a criticism as it's a very intentional choice on behalf of the author, but it did hinder my enjoyment slightly and I was definitely more invested in the side characters than Tao.
One thing I have loved about this series so far is that the character development is very believable and this continued to build throughout Fires of Vengeance. The plot also continued to expand while the pace slowed slightly, making me enjoy this one significantly more as I prefer my fantasy on the slow-side usually.
There's one chapter towards the end of this that was told from a side character's perspective that was so well done that I think it will continue to stand out to me while other details of the book fade.
I also love how this series continues to explore grey morality through a variety of perespectives and themes that often conflict the main character and leave you wondering who is truly the villain of the story.
4.5 Stars

[Books With Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw that there was a 1 star rating on this book because it didn't have any white people in it....
Fantasy finally starts becoming more inclusive so of course people have to complain about it. It blows my mind that someone would go out of their way to rate a book because of this. If I wanted to rate every fantasy book with an all white cast 1 star, pretty sure I'd be doing it until I died.

Rage of Dragons was fantastic, I have high hopes for this novel, and if the race of the characters in it offends you, then I guess you'll just miss out on a truly unique series.

[Jay H (Hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I hear you're powerful," she whispered. "I hear you're strong, stronger even than your father was, and more powerful than any Lesser has ever been. Is it true? Is it, Tau?"
"Mother, please."
"Answer me, boy. Is it true?"
"I can fight," Tau told her, tears springing to his eyes. "And i can kill, Mother. Oh, I can kill."

This maybe better than the first book I fear. But this series maybe just be the best I've ever read

[Jonah Evarts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was late to work because I had to FINISH THIS BOOK MY GOD IT WAS SO GOOD!!

Somehow miles better than the Rage of Dragons, and I need book 3 YESTERDAY

What crack did Evan Winter put in this book and where can find more of it

[Smitty1423 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sooooo close to a 5(4.75). Once again Tau’s appetite for revenge cannot be quenched. This was such a great follow up to The Rage of Dragons. I’m not sure how Evan Winter does it but the battle scenes, the emotions, he’s getting my therapy bill for what he put me through in this amazing follow up.


WHERE IS THE THIRD BOOK??

[Jake Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread update: I still think this is more morally complex than The Rage of Dragons, but on reread I can say I do definitely personally prefer Rage of Dragons, even though I also love this book. I think it is just a slightly less focused narrative, I think it's objectively more eventful, but for me not quite as addicting.

Still bloody loved it

9.2


Evan Winter proves that he is here to stay. The Rage of Dragons was my favorite debut novel of all time, not an easy act to follow up. But damm Evan Winter did it.



My Rage of Dragons review didn't have any cons, I also don't have any cons for The Fires of Vengeance. However I will be comparing The Rage of Dragons to The Fires of Vengeance.

Difference #1 The Fires of Vengeance is more morally complex, and morally interesting. Reading this book made me ask questions about what is morally acceptable, good, or bad. It didn't really give me answers to that, and that is what I prefer.
Difference #2. The third act didn't quite nail the perfect mix of incredibly satisfying, and heartbreaking that book 1 nailed. This is really the only thing that makes me like book 1 ever so slightly more. (Actually Evan mentioned that book 1 has a 4 act structure, so it is actually the 4th act.)
Difference #3 I think the characterization is even stronger, especially for side characters. This book has quite a few new characters, we meet some people we barely new, and it has quite a few characters still around from book 1. Evan Winter really nails giving all his characters their own motivation and agency.

Those are really the main differences that I can think off. This maintains the amazing action, pacing, relationships, and insane 4th act that had my heart pumping(I could hear it as I read the book.) I also think the end of book 2 did a better job of setting up book 3. So I think book 3 has potential to be even better. I actually do think that Fires of Vengeance is an even better book then The Rage of Dragons, even if I enjoyed it ever so slightly less.

The Fires of Vengeance delivers, and it gets the Burning by Evan Winter up to my 4th favorite series of all time, and for the first time since Wheel of Time I am considering replacing something in my top 3.
9.3/10

Update: Adjusting in hindsight, this books rating is staying the same, it is amazing, but I think it stands better in hindsight than Rage of Dragons, and I like it more

[Wayne Salamonsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

When is this coming out? Having read the first one I can’t wait.

[Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Rage Of Dragons was a fantastic debut, thus I was prepared for the next book in the series, The Fires Of Vengeance, to not quite meet my expectations - unfortunately, for me, it didn't.

*This will be a spoiler-free review*

Fair warning, what I write here will undoubtedly sound more negative than I intend. The book was enjoyable for the most part, but there were a handful of elements that seriously detracted from my experience.

The book started with a clumsily implemented recap of The Rage Of Dragons, in which our protagonist, Tau, tells his "unconscious" friend, Jabari, everything that transpired in that time.
Even for those readers who like or require a refresher, I feel as though it would have been smoother and easier for Winter to write one prior to the prologue, rather than attempting to incorporate it into the story using the voice of a character. Maybe this is just me though, it just read jarringly and I couldn't help but think that nobody would ever do that realistically.

This book, believe it or not, is even faster paced than the first.
The action never stops as Tau, newly appointed Champion to the Queen, and his Scale are kept bouncing between bloody conflicts and visceral skirmishes. This pinball-fighting effect, combined with the very short chapters, makes it easy to want to keep reading to find out what is going to happen just around the corner.
Exciting? Undoubtedly! And the quality of the fight choreography is very high, but all of this also leads me onto my next point...

The most glaring grievance I had was an apparent inconsistency regarding a relatively serious injury Tau sustains during ones of these fights early on in the story. One moment he is laid out flat, completely unable to move due to the sheer agony... the next he is up and hobbling about.
"OK," I say to myself. "It could be the adrenaline, shock and sheer determination..."
Nope! Two pages later he is riding a horse and running. I am not exaggerating here. All the other characters are aware of his injury as well, and aside the one physician character, all of them continue to expect Tau to learn to ride, fight the very next day, train with them at night, etc.
This injury is never given time to heal throughout the entire book, and it honestly seemed as though Winter kept forgetting his character was meant to be handicapped.

Tau is undoubtedly a strong and resilient person. He has been through so much and pushed himself further than anyone else. Through mental torment, emotional anguish and physical punishment, this guy weathers it all. And honestly all of this I can accept, it is indeed a stretch admittedly, but it's part of a good story... Where I draw the line however is that he doesn't bloody SLEEP and doesn't EAT - at least not on-page. Which means he regularly goes 72 hours+ without food, water or sleep, all this with a serious injury. During that time he is usually fighting and/or travelling distance!
It was very frustrating. I have never wanted a fictional character to show signs of being tired more than I did here.

There is also a scene in this book that we have been building toward since the very beginning of The Rage Of Dragons. Its been a goal of Tau's for so long. We've heard him think, talk and dream about this... His Vengeance! It's in the title! Yet for some reason, the moment just before this happens, we cut away to the perspective of a character we barely know. We miss out on the catharsis, we don't see or hear what is going through Tau's head, we don't feel what he feels, we experience the event through the eyes of a naive and bias bystander. This wouldn't be so bad if we had time to process it afterwards when we rejoin Tau, but no, he is almost immediately torn away to another task - another thing that HE specifically has to do, with very little time to reflect or contemplate what he has done/achieved.
Grrrr. I am not going to lie, I felt a little cheated here.

OK, onto more positive aspects!

1) The relationships and the way romance is written in this book are simply far far better than in the previous book. This is one area I can safely say was improved upon tenfold.

2) Winter expands marvelously upon both the world-building - mainly in regard to the history of the Omehi people; and the magic system - largely focused on Isihogo and the nature of demons and their otherworldly prison. Truly fantastic, well conceptualized and delivered. Plus demon combat is a lot of fun! I really want to see some artwork of the Isihogo scenes from this book!
Areas I hope we see more of in the next book is both the Hedeni and the Xiddeen people and their stories, as well as the magic surrounding the summoning of the Dragons. There are still a few gaps in our knowledge of how that works but I am very exited to find out more!

3) Winter also does a truly eloquent job of creating the perfect allegory in his works for the racial inequality we have permeating our own world, particularly nowadays, using the caste system of Nobles and Lessers. The socio-political elements at play here are very well crafted, and Winter knows well how to write a rousing speech of defiance and strength in the face of this kind of adversity. It is extremely powerful and moving.

4) Drawing to a close here, another area that shone for me was the secondary and side characters. I feel like most of them were well developed. Hadith, Uduak, Jabari and Queen Tsiora all grew and evolved brilliantly. We were also introduced to some new characters, including Nyah - the advisor to the Queen (who's advice is not once heeded) and two of the Queen's handmaidens, Auset and Ramia - who might be two of my new favourite characters from the series thus far.

The ending was very exciting, and has set up a fantastic start to Book 3.
I really hope to see Tau sleep at least once, have a drink occasionally and be a little less of a Mary Sue next time around. He is a fantastic character, but adrenaline and rage can only keep someone pushing forward so far.
Overall I liked this book, but what with the opening leaving a bad taste in my mouth, the small inconsistencies, two editing mistakes (one that I noticed and another that was pointed out to me during a bookclub discussion), the poorly timed POV cut away, and the repeated glossing-over of basic human needs throughout the book, I unfortunately think it is a big step down in quality from "The Rage of Dragons".

3 stars

Thank you for reading my review!
I know a lot of people enjoyed this one, but I cannot see any possible way that I could justifiably give this the same star rating as the previous book.
Finger crossed for book 3!

[Lee (the Book Butcher) · Rating 5 out of 5]

second novel written in Evan winters' burning series. this series has me burning as hot as dragon's fire, i am enjoying it so much. but no joke probably the best series I've read in a while! This is what I wanted from such series as Eragon by paolini and children of blood and bone by tomi Adeyemi.

There maybe a dragon on the cover but they are once again more auxiliary. although there is a full on dragon battle at the end! Once again most of the action involves tau in the underworld fighting demons. Tau is now the queens' Champion and his sword brothers are back as her advisers because honestly the queen can't trust her nobles. The Omehi people are in full class revolt in part because of tau's impossible actions in the first book. Plus they are still at war with the Xidda. Tau and queen Tsiora must get one or both issues solve quickly. to do that he makes an elite unit of fighters who will train and hone their skills in the underworld fighting demon like Tau did. So get ready for more demon killing action. But is Tau's actions breaking down the barriers to the underworld? he has already broke down the barriers of Omehi society. Tau and Tsiora have a bit of a thing going at the end and i enjoyed their budding awkward romance!

I said it in the first review and ill say it again. i love the way Tau's story is told. it's so focused on him that the pacing is never bogged down with worldbuilding. He is doing impossible feats and never really takes time to think about them. their is so much happening around him. the worldbuilding is placed around him seamlessly. Winter's does not harp on every detail. It is told to Tau and the reader discovers the rest. I read many books where the author is so enamored with their worldbuilding or magic system they won't shut up about it and what makes the story unique is it's downfall. the side character, politic, and war are all thing happening around Tau. but not the focus, still intrigues the reader. I'll give an example to those who have read this. there is a POV change to the queen's sister and i found it interesting her focus was mostly on Tau but really made me wonder what was her deal. there is a great story there! there are a few POV changes and i found them all good albeit short and they left me wanting to know more. certainly gave me something other than Tau's spectacular storyline to sink my teeth in!

the fires of vengeance is a middle book but in my opinion it elevates the storyline which is what i like to see from a second book. that is still rare. Can't wait to see what happens next i will have to wait. What a series!

[BookishByTammi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another outstanding read!
How does he keep doing this! Usually second books are a drag with lots of filler but this was still fast paced with Tau still on his path to vengeance, a civil war and a new budding romance.
The way this book ended was explosive and expected in a good way!
Book 3 is about to be a SMASH! I need it like yesterday!

[Lucia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was exactly what I needed! Fast-paced and action-packed fantasy novel with storyline that sucked me in from the very beginning to the end. Evan Winter did not disappoint. This sequel has everything that made me enjoy first book. Moreover, I finally got what I was missing in The Rage of Dragons and that was proper character development for our main hero Tau.

There are two features that set this series apart from other fantasy novels. Firstly, Evan Winter presented very original and fascinating magic system. Secondly, story moves in neck-breaking speed leaving no dull or boring parts. Furthermore, it provides almost non-stop action and plenty of satisfying duels and fights which transform this series into immensely enjoyable read for all fans of fantasy and military genre.

All in all, I have to admit that main characters really grew on me in this sequel and I cannot wait to find out how will their story continue in the next instalment. Highly recommended!

*ARC provided by publisher as an exchange for honest review*

[Edward Gwynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man that ending was so good. Such brilliant pacing, great characters and some of the best combat sequences. I loved how the characters really developed in this book.

Can't wait for the next one.

[La Crosse County Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Fires of Vengeance is the sequel to The Rage of Dragons . The Rage of Dragons was my favorite fantasy read of 2019 where everything hit the check boxes that I look for. In fact, it was one of my favorite fantasy debuts and favorite fantasy book overall since I liked it that much. I was excited to engorge myself on this book, yet also hesitant to start it since I knew I had really high expectations for it.



This book picks up immediately after the events of the first book with our heroes having to put back the pieces after everything blew up at the end of the last book. Our main character, Tau, is forced into a one of the highest positions of his people and must protect his queen while trying to prevent a civil war between social classes as well as maneuvering around an upcoming war against the natives of the land his people have invaded over a century ago. Suffice it to say that Tau has his work cut out for him with little time to solve everything.

Tau though is out for blood.

He is focused on finally getting his revenge on those that took everything from him. Tau discovers that his actions do have consequences and even tries to make more of warriors like himself. This book had a lot of the action that the first book had while expanding the history of the Omehi people. It also delved into the lore more especially with things previously hinted about in the first book including the magic system and why the people are divided into social hierarchy in the first place. Did I mention there are even more dragons in this book?



The unique thing about this series is how in depth it is in African culture instead of a white-European-medieval-type-of-world trope. The social structure was kind of puzzling for me too in this series since I didn’t know the origin and why of it, yet it was explained in this book. I kept wondering why certain family members were being treated differently too.

Another great thing about this series is how unique the magic system is. The reader thinks they have everything figured out about how the magic system works by the end of the first book. This book challenges the magic system limits by showing the indigenous people aren’t ignorant at all and adopted the Omehi’s magic and improved it in ways they did not know were possible. Other things that I liked about this book were how the action scenes were still great and were even better than the ones from the first book.

Another thing I really liked about this book is how the author experimented with POVs of characters. Tau was still our main POV, but Evan Winter sprinkled in a few chapters with different POVs that were short and effective here and there instead of having numerous POV changes. Each of these POVs enhanced the story and character development by letting you see certain characters through the eyes of people of different social classes and different roles. I also really liked the reveal at the end.



Now onto to some of the things I didn’t like quite as much. The story in this book felt more cliched and as if the author wanted to appease the fans more as well. The romance story line was also cliché, and I could predict it blossoming at the end of the first book. So many events were happening right after another and those that didn’t experienced a time skip so that they could. I was surprised at how much was resolved at the story’s end with how many things were set up to happen. The author was cramming events into the story where I had to think about if characters were injured or not still.

I could see why the author did this since it seems like he has a larger than originally expected story to tell. The next minor grievances I have are with certain characters and how they were treated. I didn’t like the introduction of Tau’s mother at all. I feel like the character to be introduced should have been his sister as it could open different avenues of character development. Kana’s complete 180 as a character just felt wrong with how deep it went, where any sympathy I had disappeared.

The last thing I didn’t like was the outcome of queen’s sister’s story. Her character had a lot of potential though I didn’t like how the main instigator of the traitors was being painted as almost sympathetic in her eyes. Overall, nothing I mentioned dissuaded me from really liking this book.

I didn’t feel like Tau was a Mary Sue as much in that he had to suffer badly to get where he is and still suffers from it. Other characters that originally displayed more skill than Tau now have the same chances as him as he revealed his secret of his prowess to them.



All in all, The Fires of Vengeance is a fast-paced adventure that serves well as a good sequel. Some parts felt a little cliché and like a fan-fiction with nonstop action, but it still contained that good storytelling that existed in the first book. This series is not just a trilogy to my pleasant surprise, with at least two more books on the way. It does a good job of setting up for more books to come especially with the surprising reveal at the end.

I still loved this book and recommend it to fans of the first book. I recommend the series to any fantasy lover out there even if it is a little grimdark, and again, it has dragons.



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[Mike's Book Reviews]

Full Video Review Here: https://youtu.be/f9On96Z2lMs

What started out as the first channel read along has turned into one of the most intriguing starts to a fantasy universe in modern fantasy. The world that Evan Winter crafted in The Rage of Dragons gets a level up in this sequel and builds upon that world, and underworld, in a most satisfying way.

Very much like Pierce Brown's Red Rising saga, Winter has found a way to make his books seemingly non-stop action, but never in a way that feels exhausting. Tau can seem a little overpowered at times, but not sticking exclusively to his POV in this one helps to see how others view him after becoming the Queen's champion.

If you were hoping to see Tau cross a few more names off his list that he didn't quite finish in book 1, you're probably going to want to pick this one up ASAP. While it doesn't take a lot of big chances and really just expands on what was done in the first book, I always say if it isn't broke, don't fix it.

Can't wait for book 3.

[Nils | nilsreviewsit · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You call me a monster because I won’t let you treat me like my life is worthless, a thing to be used and thrown away?” He said. “You call me a monster because I refuse to live like you think I deserve? If that’s what you mean by monster, watch me be monstrous!”

The Fires of Vengeance by Evan Winter proceeds directly on from the explosive ending of the first instalment, Rage of Dragons, a book which absolutely floored me with its brilliance. The lands of the Omehi were left scorched and broken, its people either burnt to death or lying in tormented agony. The dragons may have unleashed their wave of fiery destruction to both sides but through the ashes stood Tau, a man who could not be thwarted, a man who saw his people, his warriors, his beloved destroyed but did not turn away. The war between the Omehi and the Xiddeen is far from over, Queen Tsiora is far from defeated, and once again Tau‘s path for vengeance continues.

Throughout this sequel we follow Tau, now officially named the queen’s champion, as he fights a war on two fronts. A civil war has broken out, Queen Tsiora has been betrayed by her sister, Esi, and Abasi Odili, and seeks to win back her throne. Yet her allies are few and far between, and with the threat of a Xiddeen invasion close at hand, she must unite the whole of the Omehi people and its army under her leadership if she is ever to ensure their survival. As champion, Tau must find a way to achieve this and simultaneously keep the Queen alive. He also has another motivation though, Abasi Odili has taken everything from Tau and the time has come to show him enough is enough.

One of my favourite aspects from The Rage of Dragons was the way Winter explored the themes of power, privilege and prejudice. In The Fires of Vengeance, I was thrilled to discover that Winter deepens these concepts and shows his readers that the history of the Nobles, the more powerful, and the Lessers, the weaker race, is not quite as they have been told. Throughout the beginning Tau, having to now shadow the Queen, is forced to navigate in a world of Nobles where he is constantly reminded of being a Lesser. He is a character you have to admire for his determination to prove to the Nobles that he can be just as worthy, strong and resilient as they are. No matter his birth. For that alone, I rooted for Tau every step of the way.

“Rage reaches into the world when we can no longer contain the hurt of being treated as if our life and loves do not matter. Rage, and its consequences, are what we get when the world refuses to change for anything less.”

Then when Queen Tsiora reveals the true heritage of the Nobles and Lessers, and shares her visions for the future, Tau struggles to trust, or hope, for a future without prejudice because he doesn’t believe one can exist. He so desperately wants change but in his eyes it’s an unreadable dream. I loved the way Winter incorporated many philosophical layers to the narrative - how much of history can be or is rewritten? Can one race legitimately be superior to another? Winter continuously posed the question - who is the better, stronger person, the one who endures hardships and fights with every ounce of strength they can muster, or the one innately born of privilege and power?

However Tau is a character who is not without his flaws. During The Rage of Dragons he was a single visioned kind of character, his desire for revenge blinded him of the bigger picture, of what was at stake. His desire for revenge does not ease in The Fires of Vengeance, yet Tau does begin to realise what he could lose, of who he could put in danger. Winter gives us a relentlessly fast paced book, one where a battle for retribution and for love go hand in hand. Our poor Tau never manages to catch a moment of peace. At every turn he is filled with torment, pain, grief, he suffers many hardships until he begins to teeter just on the edge of his own downfall. As much as anger scorches the pages of this book, so too does sadness. The themes of friendship and found families run strong throughout, and it was heartbreaking to see those around Tau have so much faith in him, but he could not have faith in himself.

Although Tau’s vengeance is still at the forefront of the narrative, we begin to view what is at risk for the entire Omehi people, and that fragile line between who is right and wrong becomes ever more blurred. A much welcomed addition to this sequel was finding several chapters from Esi, Tsiora’s sister, and from Tsiora’s POV too. Seeing the conflicting sides between these two broadened my perspective and gave some much needed focus on the female characters too. I would have gladly read more from both of these headstrong women. One of my favourite aspects of reading is when an author is able to pull at my emotions, and what I loved about The Fires of Vengeance was that Winter threw my empathy towards both sides. A question lingered on well after I closed the pages of this book: who was truly the usurper and who had been usurped?

We also glance a deeper look into the mysterious realm of Isihogo, the demon world, a place where Tau and his warriors trained to hold the demons at bay, buying precious time in battle for the Gifted to work their powers. These were truly some of the most exhilarating scenes, and Winter left me desperately longing to learn more about one demon in particular.

In short, The Fires of Vengeance is an African inspired fantasy where you will become enraptured by a battle of Lessers against Nobles, dragon against dragon, demons against Tau and his Ayim. Without a doubt, Winter is an author who will never allow you to catch your breath.

“The things worth fighting for die in darkness if we’ll only defend them in the sun.”

Review copy provided by Nazia at Orbit Books in exchange for an honest review. The Fires of Vengeance is out now!

[aria ✧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Rage is love … twisted in on itself. Rage reaches into the world when we can no longer contain the hurt of being treated as if our life and loves do not matter. Rage, and its consequences, are what we get when the world refuses to change for anything less.”

(That dedication was one of the most beautiful ones I've ever read.)

Damn you Evan Winter for writing this masterpiece of a book. Picking up right where Rage of Dragons ends, the book starts with a literal “Previously on…” chapter that ends with the coolest, most cliche roll credits scene ever. “Keep fighting, and I swear that before it consumes us, we’ll burn our pain to ash in the fires of vengeance.” Needless to say I was even more excited to start my re-read.

"Fires of Vengeance" took everything I loved from Rage of Dragons and amplified it. Similar to the Rage of Dragons, it is mainly told from Tau’s point of view with entries from other supporting characters (Duma’s POV made me cry). The story maintains its riveting fast pace with addicting fight scenes and humorous moments between the dark setting. Now the Queen’s Champion, Tau is tasked with more than simply training to get his revenge, he has to navigate the politics of the Noble Omehi people. Here, his status as a lesser is not inconspicuous and he is reminded by those involved that he is not worthy of his title.

“I can smile and talk as sweet as cane sugar. I can follow every rule you’ll ever make, and it will never be good enough for people like you, because people like you don’t see me as people.”

They find themselves with little time before the hedeni attack yet the strict hierarchical culture of the Omehi causes several obstacles as they fight to stop the civil war tearing up the country. Tau is forced to put aside revenge, though still promised to him by the queen, to get Tsiora the throne that’s rightfully hers. What follows is a campaign across the land to gather allies or forcefully remove those who stand against them.

To be understood, he’d speak the one language the powerful share with the powerless, the language of pain, fear, and loss. The powerful had to be shown that people can only be pushed so close to the flame before they catch fire and burn everything down.

Evan Winter really dived into the themes of power, privilege and prejudice set in this world and I found it a wonderful study. We get to learn more of their history before they travelled across the Roar and the exploration of the history and culture of the Omehi showed how one decision made several years ago has still impacted their lives to this day.

What I loved the most about this book was Tau’s character. We saw him be this callous, blood-thirsty, revenge-driven character in the first book and he still is in this book but he starts to think before he acts, asks for advice where he needs it and is this him taking responsibility for his words and actions? We love to see character growth. Yet, despite the slight changes, he still remains this complete badass ready to tear down the classist institution with his bare hands if need be. I literally got chills during this scene..

“You call me a monster because I won’t let you treat me like my life is worthless, a thing to be used and thrown away?” it said. “You call me a monster because I refuse to live like you think I deserve? If that’s what you mean by monster, watch me be monstrous!”

The friendships were still amazing as in the first book. Scale Jayyed’s interactions showed how close they were, how they considered each other sword-brothers and would do anything to help each other out. Their scenes together were light hearted and humorous which was really needed with the multiple tense situations. But of the group, nothing beats the bromance between Tau, Hadith and Uduak.

“Can’t you bend lower?” Hadith asked Uduak.
“Want me to crawl?”
“Tau?”
“I’m walking on my toes.”
“Feels like I’m caught between a mountain and an anthill,” Hadith grumbled as he nodded to Kellan, who was marching over at full speed.

Now for the romance. Listen, the romance in the first book was cute but here! The sexual tension between these two was dripping off the page. Every time they interacted I was either smiling like a loon or blushing. I want Chapter 4: Locks etched on my forehead. It was the most cringe-inducing chapter and I loved it so much. These kids were so awkward, omg, it was hilarious. In just one book, they were able to become one of my favourite fictional couples.

“Tau,” she said, and Goddess wept, the emotion she put into saying his name felt real and warm and kind. “You are enough.”

They were so beautiful.

Where We fight, the World Burns!🐲🔥

[Dr. Cat in the Brain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great action storytelling should always follow the same rules as a punch.

The force the hero puts in, is the force that should come back on them.

That's the reality of a punch.

That's the reality of all action.

When you hit someone, it hurts. Not just your opponent. You. Sometimes your hand. Sometimes your spirit. It can break you in more than one way. You can easily win every single fight. And those wins can destroy you more than any defeat. It is why fighters condition their bodies and their minds. And their hearts.

They know that forces come in pairs. Everything you give, will come back on you. It is inevitable. And you must be ready for it. If you are not ready, your own ambitions will crush you flat.

It's a rule of life. It's a rule of physics. And it's the rule of great action storytelling. The stronger the hero, the stronger the threat. The bigger the advantage, the more they need to overcome. The force needs to come back on them or we don't recognise the conflict as legitimate. And sometimes that force doesn't have to be physical. It can be mental. It can be spiritual.

This rule is what makes a great villain.

The antagonist is never just evil, never just their motivations or their actions. The antagonist is not even just a representation of the darker side of our nature. The antagonist represents our nature. Itself. The reward of our good intentions. The force of the hero coming back onto them. It represents a reflection of the hero's desire to change the world. Their ὕβρις , their hubris, their debt repaid.

In full.

That's the beating heart of great action. And that is the bloody, brutal truth searing through the veins of Evan Winter's Fires of Vengeance.

A sequel to the extraordinary Rage of Dragons, the Fires of Vengeance escalates the threats facing the main character Tau to an insane pitch. Creating challenges for the hero in every dimension a protagonist can be challenged.

Tau has no place to hide, not physically or emotionally. He has set him against the world and the world is fighting back in every brutal and terrible way it can to protect itself. His life is haunted by assassins both human and not. Poison races through his body and his soul. His lust for vengeance and to prove himself has created enemies everywhere. His brutal and bloody victories come back on him with furious reprisal. His political desires to confront inequality create a domino effect of cascading imbalance, strife and discord. And his own lust for strength, the supernatural origins of his training that has made him a formidable champion begin to yield an ominous horror that could threaten much more than just his mind and his body.

And on top of all that? Ancient history, long forgotten by most of his people, but still very real and very dangerous, is waiting in the shadows. Watching for weakness, readying itself to strike.

Tau is racing towards his vision of the future, but the reader feels the pain in every step. Where Tau fights, the world burns.

So. Yeah. The Fires of Vengeance is some of the best action storytelling I've ever read. The plotting here is a masterclass. You manage to see the threats coming and at the same time not be able to predict their consequences. Which is the best kind of suspense you can create in action or horror.

The fight sequences are a perfect mixture of dizzying and coherent. The supernatural horror is like a fever dream come to life, a PTSD nightmare ripping into our world to hunt for flesh. The rules of the magic and the lore are both mysterious and well established, easy to understand and thrilling and constantly surprising. The action scenes are like if you took the best fight choreographer on the planet and made him into a brilliant character writer. It's a perfect fusion of these two very different styles of storytelling that bring all the strengths of both and combine them.

I usually dislike action scenes in books because I feel like the writing is either too vague or too descriptive. You either can't visualise what's happening, or the author overcompensates trying to describe everything, grinding the pacing into salt. The Fires of Vengeance is the Goldilocks zone. It's just right.

And it's an art all itself.

Plus: The characters are rich and captivating. The story is original and like something out of Greek tragedy. Evan Winter makes you question everybody in the book. The hero, their allies, their friends, their family, the people they are fighting to protect, every time you feel like things have settled, a new perspective is introduced that upsets the established order. Introducing threats and personal changes that open up fractures in the hero's armour that didn't exist before. The main character Tau comes off as both unstoppable and a raw nerve open to assault.

It's just high impact drama.

There's also smart and effective commentary on class and prejudice and faith and traditions. How we often learn the wrong lessons of history. Giving legitimacy and a fake permanency to ideas that momentarily advantaged us, while ignoring the warnings and threats that forced us to embrace those ideas. That when we hyper focus on our divisions we often lose sight of why we needed to overcome those divisions in the first place.

Fires of Vengeance is a fantastic sequel.

Rage of Dragons was one of the best fantasy books I've read, period. The Fires of Vengeance is in many ways, much stronger, more mature, and takes bigger and bolder risks. It blends genres dipping far into horror elements that gives the threats from both human and supernatural creatures a striking weight they didn't have before.

But the craft is the real strength of the book, its pacing, its design, not just the descriptive prose, but how it is executed.

It's exceptional.

[Alex Nieves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full video review here: https://youtu.be/ewPZaOvf6sE

Rage reaches into the world when we can no longer contain the hurt of being treated as if our life and loves do not matter. Rage, and its consequences, are what we get when the world refuses to change for anything less.

If you know me and my love for Rage of Dragons (RoD) then this review is not going to surprise you one bit. This book was fantastic and exactly what I wanted from a sequel to this story. We are still following Tau and his revenge plot from book 1 and this picks up immediately after the conclusion of RoD. This book hits the ground running and once again proves that Evan Winter can write one hell of a story.

This book does a brilliant job of expanding the world and people's of Uhmlaba and the demons of Isihogo. Evan Winter beautifully blends together the non-stop and near relentless action of RoD with a brilliant mix of characterization, world building and relationships here in Fires of Vengeance. So let's get into it.

The Characters
Tau - Our main protagonist that I loved to follow in RoD is back once again to kick some serious ass and unleash his rage upon the world. I am happy to say that he actually grew a lot since the conclusion of book 1 and is a more rounded and realized character this time around. I know a lot of people's complaints from book 1 was that he only focused on revenge and that is not simply black/white here.

Tsiora - A much more interesting character to me than Zuri was from RoD. This is the main female character that we spend our time with in FoV and she is great. She's the queen to be and as cutthroat as they come and channels her inner fire as the daughter of Taifa and is not to be f*cked with.

The rest of the cast is solid as well, whether it be Jabari or Uduak or the newcomers of Auset and Ramia.

The Story
We are still following Tau's story and see nearly everything through his eyes, but other characters are starting to shine as well and we do see a bit of their POV's. This story is written with so much passion and love and just manages to keep me wanting to read more and never stop. The action is visceral and violent, the prose is engaging and straightforward and as the quote to start this review should tell you, it occasionally drops some serious knowledge.

We follow the story of Tau, Tsiory and his companions in their battle to be taken seriously in the world and take the Noble's control away and their lordship over them. The Lessers and Petty Nobles are sick and tired of being treated subhuman and this entire plot revolves around their quest to conquer the tyrants that own the land and the capital city of Palm. This story expands on the foundation that was built in RoD while maintaining a concise and succinct thrill of a book. Oh also if you complained about dragons not being around much in Rage of Dragons, read this book.

The implications and impact of Isihogo in this followup as well as all of the various factions at play has me incredibly excited for book 3 and the wait between now and then will seriously test my patience.

[Dannii Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second instalment in The Burning series.

Tau is a Lesser, lacking the physical strength and respect of the nobles of his lands. However, his prowess in battle and his dedication to the art of war, even when his sword is housed in its sheath, have led him to the queen's side. He now serves as her champions, although many are unimpressed by his new position. They must, however, put their faith in Tau if he is to continue to lead them to freedom and keep their queen safe from harm, in the process.

I am continually surprised by just how much I adore this series. Epic high fantasy is very much my favourite genre, but a military focus within it very much isn't. However, Winter ensured the political intrigue kept a large a portion of the focus as the martial action scenes. The latter were also where this author truly excelled, as each action scene was so vividly depicted that I could imagine each swing of the blade or strike of knuckles on bone as easily I could each of the governmental movements being simultaneously made, behind the battle ground.

Whilst these two features reigned throughout the book, the focus on magic continued to emerge as the book's narrative progressed, and as its characters unearthed more secrets by how exactly it was manifested and governed.

This, in every one of these aspects, was a very dense book. I can only applaud its author for the clever construction of each and how seamlessly they slotted together to deliver a thrilling story with such an unguessable trajectory.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Evan Winter, and the publisher, Orbit Books, for this opportunity.

[Rin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kick ass. I'm hype for the next one

[fatherofdragons113 · Rating 4 out of 5]

There seems to be so much to say and not much to say at the same time.

I think the best take away from this book is that Eric Winter is an amazingly talented writer. I love the mythology. I love the caste system. I love the world. I love the magic. I love the darkness. I love me a powerful, badass queen that can control dragons.

Tau is written really well in that he makes me so angry and frustrated. Sometimes I like him, other times I hate him. I didn't get much sense of the character growth in him or really any of the characters. It's very repetitive in that Tau gets angry. Tau fights and kills demons to deal with said anger. And the cycle continues and we never really see him learn or grow aside from learning how to kill better. Which is cool, but gets redundant.

I really do like these books. I loved the first one. Winter writes fight scenes really well, I could just use a little less of it personally.

I think these books are amazing and I think most people who love fantasy would agree. For me, personally though, it feels a little empty. Like it's missing an ingredient, but that's just my perspective.

I will keep reading this series because I have faith in Winter and Tau! I look forward to the next book.