The Anell bloodline is known for their loyalty and dedication to their family, kingdom, and the Crown. When tragedy strikes, the Anells do what they can to put things back together… which means being separated.
Even though she is in love with the king’s half-elf bastard, Caelia Anell is expected to become a Lady of the Court and marry one of the princes—and she will, after she is done upholding the family tradition: become a ranger for the Grey Keep. But when things go wrong during her testing and a dragon spirit bonds to her, Caelia tries to hide becoming a dragonkin—and her newfound magic—while facing a loveless marriage, a broken family, and a crumbling kingdom.
I've been writing since I was six years old. Those stories won't ever see the light of day (hopefully), but I have others that I'm willing to share with the world.
Sometimes I burn through a book in no time flat because I’m in a hurry to move onto something else I really want to read. This wasn’t one of those times.
I found myself with an exceptional amount of free time to catch up on my TBR last week. This book was one of the flurry that I tore through simultaneously — one audiobook, one print, and one digital (this was a digital ARC copy). Clocking in at 725 pages, I was a little worried I wouldn’t get through it in a decent amount of time, because my track record of late had not been stellar. But then, I got into the story. Like, got into it. It had been a hot minute since I read the first of the series, The Three, so it took a little bit to refresh on the vital elements of the arc in the world (Battle doesn’t directly follow up The Three, but runs concurrently elsewhere in the world). After my refresher, I was all in. I finished this book in four days, which in my view, says something significant.
Caelia is a strong woman leading the cast in this story, and straddles the line between a lady’s expected role and an adventurer who can fight for herself. One of the elements I liked most was feeling that I could genuinely understand what was happening in her mind and heart along the way, as well as those within her circle. On the other side of the coin, I absolutely LOATHED the villain in this story (spoiler free), which is really the point of good storytelling!
While I liked The Three, I LOVED this installment in the series. It felt even more immersive than its predecessor. I had the impression going through this story that Chesney Infalt, the author, has honed her craft considerably from one story to the next. This book is pure, enjoyable fantasy at its finest. I’m absolutely stoked for the next book in the series when it comes out!
I enjoyed reading the Battle of Fire and found the main character Caelia to be thought-provoking. Caelia is a strong, family-oriented, and loyal character. Who presents herself as an individual throughout the story that would do any and everything to protect her family and later on the people of Arreth. Many challenges arise, from an attack on her family to self-discovery, and fighting against assassins who are trying to bring down members of the royal family.
In this book, it was nice to see a woman taking the lead and being vocal about her perspectives on society and its rules. I look forward to reading the next book in the series to see what happens to Caelia and how her character is able to help bring peace and equality to the kingdom. This book will definitely be one to pick up and add to your library as a must-read. It sends an empowering message to young women to challenge the status quo of society and to reach for their dreams.