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Perfect Fire Trilogy #3
Paradise Red
As Raimon and Aimery set off to re-gain the flame and the heart of the Occitan, Hugh prepares to lay siege to the Cathar stronghold where the flame burns. Unbeknown to him, his wife Yolanda flees his castle and into the freezing snow. What is Yolanda running from? What underhand game is Aimery about to bring in to play? And will Raimon's passion for the flame cause him to lose Yolanda and even himself? K M Grant's spectacular novel weaves together the friendship, love and bitter rivalry of her wonderfully evoked characters in a finale to a superb trilogy of romance and adventure.
Hardcover
Published January 1, 2009
81 people want to read
About the author
K.M. Grant
11 books57 followersK. M. GRANT was inspired by her own family history to write How the Hangman Lost His Heart. Her ancestor, Colonel Francis Towneley, or Uncle Frank, was the last man in Britain to by hanged, drawn, and quartered. His head was passed down for generations of her family until it was finally reunited with his body just after World War II, when it was buried at St. Peter’s Church. It was Uncle Frank’s colorful legacy that showed her how exciting history could be. K. M. Grant is also the author of the de Granville Trilogy. She lives in Scotland and works as a broadcaster and journalist.
She has recently published her first novel for adults as Katharine Grant. The separate name is to ensure the distinction between works appropriate for young audiences and works with adult material. For more information, see The History Girls: Naming myself, by Katharine Grant.
She has recently published her first novel for adults as Katharine Grant. The separate name is to ensure the distinction between works appropriate for young audiences and works with adult material. For more information, see The History Girls: Naming myself, by Katharine Grant.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 4, 2011
This is the final and concluding part of the Perfect fire trilogy by K.M. Grant. It's one of my favourite historical fiction series that I've come across in the last couple of years. It's a winning combinaton of amazing characters that you really do care about; an exciting and fast-paced story which blends together romance, adventure and excitement and a stunning historical backdrop. I'm really sad that the adventure is over because these books have provided me with so much enjoyment.
'Paradise Red' picks up the story from 'Blue Flame' and 'White Heat'. Raimon is still desperate to retrieve the blue flame from the White Wolf and save the Occitan while Yolanda is torn between her husband and her love for Raimon. The romance between Yolanda and Raimon is one of the central elements of the series. I love the fact that whatever they are faced with and however much it looks impossible for them to be together, they always have complete trust and faith in each other and they never give up hope. They've grown up together and their love has grown with them and matured from that between childhood sweethearts to adults who know that they belong together.
The other significant relationship is between Yolanda and her dog Brees! He's adorable and such a faithful companion that he provides her with the strength to go on when she needs it most.
Their story is framed by an intricately detailed historical backdrop, with an ongoing war between the Catholics and the Cathars. Religious hatred and intolerance are key themes throughout the book which highlights the destruction that these can cause.
This is an absolutely superb and fitting conclusion to an oustanding series by an amazing author. I even had tears in my eyes at the end!
'Paradise Red' picks up the story from 'Blue Flame' and 'White Heat'. Raimon is still desperate to retrieve the blue flame from the White Wolf and save the Occitan while Yolanda is torn between her husband and her love for Raimon. The romance between Yolanda and Raimon is one of the central elements of the series. I love the fact that whatever they are faced with and however much it looks impossible for them to be together, they always have complete trust and faith in each other and they never give up hope. They've grown up together and their love has grown with them and matured from that between childhood sweethearts to adults who know that they belong together.
The other significant relationship is between Yolanda and her dog Brees! He's adorable and such a faithful companion that he provides her with the strength to go on when she needs it most.
Their story is framed by an intricately detailed historical backdrop, with an ongoing war between the Catholics and the Cathars. Religious hatred and intolerance are key themes throughout the book which highlights the destruction that these can cause.
This is an absolutely superb and fitting conclusion to an oustanding series by an amazing author. I even had tears in my eyes at the end!
March 25, 2011
I wasn't expecting much out of this last volume in the "Perfect Fire" trilogy, but I was pleasantly surprised. While still childish, both Yolanda and Raimon have grown up a lot between books and even though they still make foolish decisions at times, they have greatly matured by the end of the novel.
In the past year or so I've found K.M. Grant to be a kind of 'hit or miss' author, thankfully this was a hit. The whole series actually, while not perfect, is a 'hit' mainly due to it's unusual (for a YA novel) setting and plot. How many other YA novels can you name that focus on religious conflict in 13th c. France? And while it does have the tried and true star-crossed lovers that YA so loves, it does definitely transend that with Yolanda's marriage to Hugh (and ). Still the requisite happy ending is there even if it is different from what we would expect (if history didn't already tell us how certain plot points would be resolved).
Overall a decent work of historical fiction and one that should readily appeal to mature teens looking for an unusual read.
In the past year or so I've found K.M. Grant to be a kind of 'hit or miss' author, thankfully this was a hit. The whole series actually, while not perfect, is a 'hit' mainly due to it's unusual (for a YA novel) setting and plot. How many other YA novels can you name that focus on religious conflict in 13th c. France? And while it does have the tried and true star-crossed lovers that YA so loves, it does definitely transend that with Yolanda's marriage to Hugh (and ). Still the requisite happy ending is there even if it is different from what we would expect (if history didn't already tell us how certain plot points would be resolved).
Overall a decent work of historical fiction and one that should readily appeal to mature teens looking for an unusual read.
February 15, 2011
A great ending for this trilogy. Nothing in life ever ends up perfectly the way we had imagined them, and neither did this book. That's what truly made it real for me. If the ending is all cotton candy and rainbows, it's not worth it. Problems are what we as humans learn from and what we can relate to. Raimon and Yolanda's stories are completed in this third novel, but their characters never truly go away. They will remain in my heart for a while to remind me of how struggles and strife can have relatively happy endings.
October 21, 2014
An excellent and fitting end to the Perfect Fire Trilogy. One cannot say that it's a happy one. Perfect Fire, like the other two books in this trilogy, is based on actual historical events, and the taking over of the Occitan by the French king and the purging of the Cathars was not a bloodless occurance. Have tissues on hand and definitely don't read Paradise Red when you're feeling depressed.
But that really isn't what makes this particular book so depressing, even though the mass burning in the end is certainly a hard part to read (especially if you are eating roasted chicken). I have never liked Raimon all that much. I've tolerated him and for the most part agreed with him, and I've always supported the attachment between him and Yolanda. But Raimon often acts far too selfishly, using people for his own gains, and Paradise Red is no exception. While I can understand what made him use Metta to get close to the White Wolf and the Flame, I couldn't accept it. Poor Metta; Raimon is almost her undoing. In White Heat, I felt sorry for Sir Hugh, but in this one, I hate him - even though he redeems himself a little bit in the end - but only a little, in my opinion. And even Yolanda makes decisions that had me despising her tremendously, but she does end up making the right decision in the end and I liked her again, though not as much as before.
I can't say that K.M. Grant could have written it any other way, though. There are very few characters to like in the finale, but none of their choices were out-of-character, and while Raimon never redeems himself enough in my view, he does realize that he did wrong and must repent. I can never find myself disliking K.M. Grant's decision to make her main characters less-than-spectacular; she manages to write "only human" heroes and heroines in a way that doesn't leave the Reader feeling disappointed in a bad way, and the characters do, in the end, always make the right decision, or see their faults and try to amend.
There must now be some words lent towards content. I am sorry to give anything away in this part, but I'll do my best not to give too much away. Sir Hugh, as it says in the summary, wants a boy, while Yolanda is quite adamant that it not happen - at least, not by her. As far as she's concerned, Sir Hugh has broken their marriage contract by burning her home in White Heat. Hugh does end up having his way with Yolanda, but the Author deals with this in the most delicate language. She doesn't even actually write the scene; it goes from Hugh's arrival at the manor to after he's done the deed and left again. This event is alluded to throughout the book, but always in the fewest words possible, and never in detail. So my Readers can be assured - if a scene seems that it is going in an undesirable road, don't worry - there are no details. K.M. Grant cuts it at the right moment.
I cannot say that Pardise Red was my favorite out of the trilogy, but it was a good ending. Bittersweet. As always, K.M. Grant's writing is truly wonderful and I look forward to any other books she intends to write in the future.
But that really isn't what makes this particular book so depressing, even though the mass burning in the end is certainly a hard part to read (especially if you are eating roasted chicken). I have never liked Raimon all that much. I've tolerated him and for the most part agreed with him, and I've always supported the attachment between him and Yolanda. But Raimon often acts far too selfishly, using people for his own gains, and Paradise Red is no exception. While I can understand what made him use Metta to get close to the White Wolf and the Flame, I couldn't accept it. Poor Metta; Raimon is almost her undoing. In White Heat, I felt sorry for Sir Hugh, but in this one, I hate him - even though he redeems himself a little bit in the end - but only a little, in my opinion. And even Yolanda makes decisions that had me despising her tremendously, but she does end up making the right decision in the end and I liked her again, though not as much as before.
I can't say that K.M. Grant could have written it any other way, though. There are very few characters to like in the finale, but none of their choices were out-of-character, and while Raimon never redeems himself enough in my view, he does realize that he did wrong and must repent. I can never find myself disliking K.M. Grant's decision to make her main characters less-than-spectacular; she manages to write "only human" heroes and heroines in a way that doesn't leave the Reader feeling disappointed in a bad way, and the characters do, in the end, always make the right decision, or see their faults and try to amend.
There must now be some words lent towards content. I am sorry to give anything away in this part, but I'll do my best not to give too much away. Sir Hugh, as it says in the summary, wants a boy, while Yolanda is quite adamant that it not happen - at least, not by her. As far as she's concerned, Sir Hugh has broken their marriage contract by burning her home in White Heat. Hugh does end up having his way with Yolanda, but the Author deals with this in the most delicate language. She doesn't even actually write the scene; it goes from Hugh's arrival at the manor to after he's done the deed and left again. This event is alluded to throughout the book, but always in the fewest words possible, and never in detail. So my Readers can be assured - if a scene seems that it is going in an undesirable road, don't worry - there are no details. K.M. Grant cuts it at the right moment.
I cannot say that Pardise Red was my favorite out of the trilogy, but it was a good ending. Bittersweet. As always, K.M. Grant's writing is truly wonderful and I look forward to any other books she intends to write in the future.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2011
First Look: **** I've been waiting for this for a few months now, and the cover is awesome like the first two, but I'm not really sure when Yolanda turned from Occitanian to Hispanic. I loved the title at first glance; and now that I know why it's called that, I love it even more.
Setting: ***** I love this setting. Of course, I almost automatically like medieval settings. But I loved how this is a real place. That somehow makes it so much cooler.
Characters: ***** Great, as in the last two books. Laila was the one who really surprised me here (Aimery! Laila, what's your problem?) They all had so much depth to them, and characters that you thought you knew showed new sides in this one, especially Hugh. And Arthur Parsifal, because I love the name.
Plot: ***** Again, this is no less awesome than the first two. It's a bit more intense, actually. If I was the kind of person who cried during books, I would've been freaking out near the end. This was actually real! Not the specific characters, but the general storyline. I love that aspect of it.
Writing: **** Wait...I would have bet quite a bit that the first two were written in past tense. Maybe I'm wrong, but the present tense bothered me. On the other hand, this book is narrated by a country (actually, a small strip of fictional land in southwestern France called the Amorouix). How cool is that?
Likes: There was one thing about this book that almost had me cheering, but how can I say it without giving spoilers? I guess I'll just say that I hated that life-or-death she made. But then it failed, and I was really really happy with her. If that had worked, that would've most likely ruined the whole book for me. Yes, I feel that strongly about the subject. And I also agreed with the viewpoint it presented on religion, and how K. M. Grant was careful not to make one side better than the other.
Not-so-great: The only thing that comes to mind is Yolanda's choice. But I've already gone over that, and it was resolved in the end. Even so, I still can't believe she did that.
Cliché-ness:***** Zero cliche. 100% on the uniqueness.
Total Score: ***** Amazing finish to the trilogy! It delivered a bittersweet and satisfying ending. This was so much more emotional than the first two! I would recommend this for people who like historical fiction, or just exciting stories. Read it, but make sure you read the first two first.
Setting: ***** I love this setting. Of course, I almost automatically like medieval settings. But I loved how this is a real place. That somehow makes it so much cooler.
Characters: ***** Great, as in the last two books. Laila was the one who really surprised me here (Aimery! Laila, what's your problem?) They all had so much depth to them, and characters that you thought you knew showed new sides in this one, especially Hugh. And Arthur Parsifal, because I love the name.
Plot: ***** Again, this is no less awesome than the first two. It's a bit more intense, actually. If I was the kind of person who cried during books, I would've been freaking out near the end. This was actually real! Not the specific characters, but the general storyline. I love that aspect of it.
Writing: **** Wait...I would have bet quite a bit that the first two were written in past tense. Maybe I'm wrong, but the present tense bothered me. On the other hand, this book is narrated by a country (actually, a small strip of fictional land in southwestern France called the Amorouix). How cool is that?
Likes: There was one thing about this book that almost had me cheering, but how can I say it without giving spoilers? I guess I'll just say that I hated that life-or-death she made. But then it failed, and I was really really happy with her. If that had worked, that would've most likely ruined the whole book for me. Yes, I feel that strongly about the subject. And I also agreed with the viewpoint it presented on religion, and how K. M. Grant was careful not to make one side better than the other.
Not-so-great: The only thing that comes to mind is Yolanda's choice. But I've already gone over that, and it was resolved in the end. Even so, I still can't believe she did that.
Cliché-ness:***** Zero cliche. 100% on the uniqueness.
Total Score: ***** Amazing finish to the trilogy! It delivered a bittersweet and satisfying ending. This was so much more emotional than the first two! I would recommend this for people who like historical fiction, or just exciting stories. Read it, but make sure you read the first two first.
January 29, 2011
Yolanda runs from Hugh after he tells her he wants an heir, Raimon and Aimery have forged a fragile alliance after the burning of Aimery's holdings in the town of Castleneuf, and the White Wolf is still in possession of the Blue Flame. New Cathar followers arrive in Castleneuf, one of whom is pretty Metta, and Raimon thinks he sees a way to getting the Flame back, through Metta, though it involves an apparent betrayal of his love for Yolanda. Grant never shies away from the gritty, smelly, physically miserable living conditions of the medieval world, and her characters are always marvelously complex. However, it's a relief to have this trilogy finished. I really liked the first two books, but by this third installment it feels like high time to put the characters out of their misery.
May 29, 2012
The first book of the series was fine. I liked the setting and the story was interesting. However, I had a major problem with the next books which mostly had to do with the characters. I really liked sir Hugh: he was levelheaded, wise, logical, caring. And he was supposed to be the bad guy? And I practically despised Raimon: he was extremely selfish, compulsive, immature, hypocritical, and blind to most other peoples' feelings. And of course I disliked Yolanda for preferring Raimon. The plot Also became somewhat ridiculous, and I didn't like the whole idea of sacrificing people and their feelings and peace in general for a little flame that brought them a whole lot more trouble than good. Oh and I really disliked the covers, definitely not my motivation to pick up these books.
June 7, 2011
this book was super slow-pace unfortunately unlike the first two books.. but the good parts were very interesting when they came up. im just kinda sad that it didnt really end with a happy ending or that they didnt really say what happened afterwards with Raimon having to take care of Huge's son
January 5, 2013
I read the whole series, and I guess I was just expecting a little more in the ending! Not all together unsatisfying, just lacked a little more closure!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews