Fires of Freedom

Tales of Sea and Skies #2

by Brigitte Cromey

Winning the crown was never easy. Holding onto it will prove almost impossible.

Rose has ascended the throne that is hers by birthright. As she enters the second year of her reign, she must grapple with the knowledge that not everyone in Illyn supports her rule; and a few have grown bold enough to challenge her. When her strongest ally is taken by her enemies, Rose must decide which she will listen to more— her heart, or her head?

Erven has lived by and suffered for his loyalty many times over. With the lives of everyone he loves at stake, he faces a choice out of his worst nightmare— betray his queen and family, or see the country he almost died defending crumble into war?

With Illyn held in the unrelenting grip of winter, each of them will have to make their choice—and there’s no guarantee they’ll come out unscathed.

364 pages, Paperback

Published January 9, 2022

About the author

Brigitte Cromey has been known to daydream so heavily that a gong must be rung to retrieve her. (This annoys her family, who can never be sure if she’s actually heard what they’ve just said to her.)

When not submerged in worlds of her own making, she can be found cooking with bizarre ingredients, reading entire books in a single sitting, dressing her children up as fairies and knights, and occasionally responding to the world with kindness tainted by cynicism.

Brigitte lives in Southern Arizona with her husband and children. Should you encounter her, the kettle will always be on.

Reviews

[Emmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

[ARC Review]
*honest sidenote: after finding and loving book one in this series, I've become personal friends with the author. I have rated and reviewd this book fully according to my experience, but you're allowed to know that my appreciation for Brigitte as an author may make me just a tad biased towards her beautiful stories. I'm sure you'll feel the same once you've finished them :)

Fires of Freedom is the sequel to Star of Hope and I highly recommend you make sure you've read the latter first.

Clean, YA, epic fantasy with a dash of heartwarming romance, a big cast and multiple (third person) POV's.
Heartwarming, action packed and realistically written with friendly banter and guilt-ridden heroes learning to let go and share the load, this story has all you need in a clean, YA (low) fantasy story.
Throughout this story, you'll see...the title Fires of Freedom is spot-on for these beautiful characters.

Favourites:
- My hero: Erven, oh, Erven...he was my hero in the previous instalment already, even if he was a bit on the sidelines for part of that, but in Fires of Freedom he takes a big lead. His POV full of trauma and fear he's working to overcome, dealing with the manipulative pulls of people with more power than he, and all the while confusedly trying not to let any selfishness or weakness rule his choices that he knows will majorly impact thousands of others....ugh...I just....yep...it did it for me, once again.
- Romance: the last book gave us a sprinkle of hope that maybe, just maybe, there was a little more between these important characters...and would it spark into a little fire? Well, it did. I loved the insecurities of it, the complexities of their relationship making them wonder if the other was even still on their side. This romance gave me 'all the feels'
- Political intrigue, manipulative maneuvering & harder questions: lots of it, in this book! I found myself many times wondering, if I'd been in this character's shoes, what would actually BE the right decision. I loved the grey areas, the questions, and the horrible consequences of seemingly right choices at the moment.

What I missed:
- Character introductions: there are quite a lot of characters in this book, and although most of them had been introduced in the previous instalment, it had been a while since I'd read that so for the first few chapters I struggled a little wrapping my head around all the names and characteristics again
- Momentary lull: Though there is plenty of action, Fires of Freedom does have more political maneuvering that is important to the plot, and here and there the chapters of dialogue slowed the pacing somewhat for me

Sexual content: none
Coarse language: none
Violence and gore: very mild gore, moderate violence
Other: torture (non graphic)
*This book is clean and even the violence is written in a way that it would be suitable for even younger YA readers

Conclusion
This was lovely. Erven really made the story for me, and I will be re-reading both books, mainly starry-eyed for his POV's. If you like wholesome, action packed YA (low) fantasy with heartwarming friendships and banter, actual unselfish romance and a fair share of political intrigue, go read this series.

[Chloë Mali · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are some books that come to you just when you need them, and for me, this was one of them. I honestly don't know how to put into words how this story made me feel, beyond strangely cozy. I definitely didn't cry at parts that probably weren't intended to make me tear up... 😂 I loved seeing more Rose and Erven, I loved the plot (while I loved the first book, Fires of Freedom was somewhat easier for me to follow which made it even better), and I loved the side cast (of course I did because the author just smashes ensemble casts out of the park every single time and I want that knowledge bestowed on me 😆). I'm really happy I picked this one when I did and I know I'll be reaching for it next time I need a comfort read. <3

[M.H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having enjoyed Brigitte Cromey's debut novel, Star of Hope, I was excited to delve back into her lush world and immerse myself in her delightful cast of characters.

May I start by saying, if I enjoyed her first book, I consumed her sequel! Cromey has come fully into her craft with strong, clear descriptions and a poignant political structure used to truly draw out her characters, and show their strengths and weaknesses in full array.

Rose is a fully realized character, and I feel she shines where she ought, while showcasing believable flaws that make you want to scream at her from time to time. I love that kind of raw emotion when reading. I also adore Erven (my absolute favorite character), with his heartrending choices and stalwart devotion. His gripping tale really sucked me in and never let me go. (I never doubted you!) I must also highlight the delightful Heather, hands-down my second favorite character.

In short, this is exactly my ideal type of low-fantasy read, with all the emotions, heart, and crisp action I could want. Highly recommended!

I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Lily Heron · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a new queen on the throne, the future of Illyn should be stable, bright, and prosperous. But not everyone supports her rule, and when her strongest ally is captured, she must learn to trust her own judgement and step into her rightful strength. Meanwhile, Erven struggles between doing his duty and protecting his family, as the country he risked everything for edges closer to war.

Fires of Freedom is a mature sequel to Star of Hope, grappling with complex questions of how to rule wisely; how to balance duty with love; and who to trust, when it seems as though everyone around you is turning against you. I very much enjoyed the wintry atmosphere, a perfect companion to how trapped and isolated Rose becomes over the course of the novel. Erven, as ever, remained my very favourite character. Eternally loyal and desperate to do the right thing, but caught between a rock and a hard place as the threats around Rose grow increasingly more dangerous. As with Star of Hope, Fires of Freedom has a large cast of characters, which I sometimes struggled with as a reader. However, this is more a note on personal preference, and I really liked how the friendships between the characters are portrayed. Having read the author's note at the end of the story, I would like to acknowledge the strength it took to write this book, and to say that I admire the growth that comes across so strongly on the page.

Thank you to the author for providing a free eARC of Fires of Freedom. These opinions are my own.

[S.H. Dontell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a REALLY good sequel
I feel like all the best sequels build on characters and their arcs and this did that SO well. Everyone's growing into who they are even more, and it's beautiful to witness
I loved Erven and Rose's journey throughout this book—of seeing themselves as worthy, battling trauma and pain, and falling in love. (chapter 29 my beloved) And of course I still love Heather, Clover, Willow, and Ethan. Arielle is a true legend, and I really liked Merald being married and adopting kids I was EMOTIONAL
The plot was, obviously, genius. I really enjoyed seeing how the country was doing after Star Of Hope, and how Rose is learning to rule and lean on the people around her
All in all I love this sequel, and I highly recommend it!!

[Brigitte Cromey · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You’ve proven yourself time and time again, by doing all the things you thought you couldn’t.”

Fires of Freedom is a revisitation of characters first introduced in Star of Hope, and a story of lives balancing between the call of the head and the cry of the heart. Themes of winter, warmth, struggle, and surrender run throughout the tale of Rose and Erven’s fight to protect their people, two years after revolution left Illyn free but fragmented. As the author, I found myself caught up in real life hardship that closely mirrored the internal struggles each of the main characters face in this book. Their struggles forge them stronger, just like my hard season forged me into something stronger, kinder, and hopefully wiser.

There’s a lot of heart woven into this book. I hope you enjoy.

[Amber Lambda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taking place a couple of years after “Star of Hope,” “Fires of Freedom” follows Rose and her comrades as they continue settling into the workings of her rule—and realizing that some of the people in the kingdom don’t plan on settling into her reign at all.

Much like the first book, this story focuses on war and political strategies, but with raised stakes that create an effective follow-up to the battle for freedom and the themes in the first book. Conflicts feel more personal, not only involving a distant war and peoples but causing trouble and tension between our main pov characters as well. With these stakes and the different explorations of the fine lines and gray spaces between choosing what’s right, I found the characters easier to follow and connect with than the previous story. At times the pacing did seem slow with talk and tactics. I also would have liked a little more build up from the hints of budding romance throughout the story, but the bits of romance that did come into play by the end were sweet.

Overall, I’d recommend “Fires of Freedom” to readers who like found family, royal politics, and themes of trust and betrayal all wrapped up in a low fantasy setting. Also, I’d recommend reading the previous installment of the story first, as I’m not sure the story’s main elements would make as much sense or have as much impact if not familiar with what happened with the characters and plot before now.

Thank you to the author for the ARC copy of this book!

[J. Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHOA that was a good book!!!!!
Brigitte Cromey has a delightful habit of sneaking up on me with just how much I LOVE her characters. One minute I think I'm normal and then BAM all of a sudden they're living rent free in my brain!!!
Erven and Rose were absolutely AMAZING. Their struggles were so painful and real, and their development, both on their own and together, was SO good
As usual, Willow, Heather, and Clover were absolute ICONS and I would die for them. One thing I love about book one was that they weren't soldiers, but that wasn't a problem, y'know? Their skills were JUST as valuable. And that was continued here and I LOVE it
Anyways I need to own this book. It was incredible

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Enjoyable! I think even more so than the first book, at least based on my review (so hard to remember when they’re not back to back…). I found myself looking forward to this one far more than another (different author, similar genre) I’m listening to at the moment.

I’m struggling with a portion of it and not quite sure why; it felt…forced? Not quite. It just didn’t have the flow I would have expected. Mostly toward the end was when this occurred…

I appreciated the different-than-expected plot path - it wasn’t quite the expected romance, shall we say? And completely clean.

I do wish one character - who dies at the end - had more depth. A bit of information almost gives us the depth, but not quite.

I’m hoping to hear more from these characters!

[Brigitte Cromey · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You’ve proven yourself time and time again, by doing all the things you thought you couldn’t.”

Fires of Freedom is a revisitation of characters first introduced in Star of Hope, and a tale of lives balancing between the call of the head and the cry of the heart. Themes of winter, warmth, fighting, and surrender run throughout the tale of Rose and Erven’s fight to protect their people, two years after revolution left Illyn free but fragmented. As the author, I found myself caught up in real life struggles that closely mirrored the internal struggles each of the main characters face in this book. Their struggles forge them stronger, just like my hard season forged me into something stronger, kinder, and hopefully wiser.
There’s a lot of heart woven into this book. I hope you enjoy.

[Amber Gabriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I don’t know what to think. On ​the one hand, he’s only ever been loyal. On the other hand, he ​might take that loyalty to strange places in order to preserve ​lives.”
When is it right to do something wrong? An age-old dilemma with a fresh take.
Fires of Freedom begins two years after Queen Rose takes the throne. In this respect, it differs from many series that end when the missing heir finally gains their crown, showing how winning a kingdom and keeping it are two entirely different things. Untrained for her task, Rose finds ruling a daunting challenge. Fortunately, she has plenty of friends and allies to bolster and defend her when attacked by arrows of doubt or dissension.
Few new characters are introduced, making this book much easier to follow and get into since we already know the cast. The leaders of the mountain tribes chaff at the idea of submitting to a young girl and aim to gain their independence at the cost of weakening the rest of the kingdom. Early in the story, they capture Erven and try to force him to do their bidding. Erven’s stoicism, honor, and protective instincts are tested to the breaking point, and he does his best with limited options. His dilemma kept me reading late into the night, rooting for him and anxious for his well-being.
As a reserved, introverted character, Rose is difficult for the reader to connect to, but her friends have the same problem. As someone who needs to be alone to recharge, I understand. She retreats into herself when upset, but learns to step up and speak out when her people are being mistreated. Her soft heart for the defenseless and downtrodden is endearing. She gives a brilliant speech toward the end with a persuasive argument to sustain the monarchy.
The romance is compelling, especially with the interesting trust issues involved, but I won’t spoil that by going into detail. Some violence, sweet romance, and noble characters. This was a very enjoyable story, recommended for fans of clean, inspiring tales of love, loyalty, and friendship.
I received a complimentary copy, and this is my honest and unsolicited opinion.

[Alisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to begin with the title. I mean how cool is the title✨ annndd the book cover. For me book covers are essential in deciding whether or not I will read a book. I judge a book by it's cover 🤌🏼

Thank you Bridgette for not disappointing us with the sequel of stars of hope. I was looking forward to read more about Rose and Erven. I was hoping that there would be more chemistry in second book and there was. And man! Talk about slow burn romance. She nearly killed me, but you won't see me complaining 💀 They took their sweet time and maybe a little bit nudge from their friends but they realised that they're best together. King and Queen *sigh*
Recommended 👯‍♀️