Showing posts with label The Kingmaker Chronicles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Kingmaker Chronicles. Show all posts

Sunday, 19 November 2017

BREATH OF FIRE

Breath Of Fire by Amanda Bouchet
Book 2 in The Kingmaker Chronicles
Genre: epic fantasy
Format: paperback & ebook


About Breath Of Fire:
SHE'S DESTINED TO DESTROY THE WORLD...
"Cat" Catalia Fisa has been running from her destiny since she could crawl. But now, her newfound loved ones are caught between the shadow of Cat's tortured past and the threat of her world-shattering future. So what's a girl to do when she knows it's her fate to be the harbinger of doom? Everything in her power.

BUT NOT IF SHE CAN HELP IT
Griffin knows Cat is destined to change the world-for the better. As the realms are descending into all-out war, Cat and Griffin must embrace their fate together. Gods willing, they will emerge side-by-side in the heart of their future kingdom...or not at all.
Source: Info in the About Breath Of Fire was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29895106-breath-of-fire on 08/08/2017.

A BREATH OF FIRE
My Thoughts:
"Heavy on Greek mythology, other pantheon not included."

How does one, "slice my head to the side", indicates a final word? Looks like Sourcebooks needs a more robust editing service.

Who the heck decided that Cat should become Xena?? The cover art on A Promise Of Fire was amazing!! Why couldn't they use the same design team or the same model?? I'm talking about the US versions of this series, here. It's kind of a let-down.

I have a hard time wrapping my head around olive-skinned race from the cold, ice-covered north. Humans living for generations in snowy weather would loose all color. It's a simple fact of evolution. Humans living for generations in hot weather would gain color. They would become dark-skinned. It's an adaptation mechanism. But then again, this is a post-apocalyptic world born from the ashes of the old world. So maybe they were evolutionarily correct at the start and then got all mixed up in the process of breaking the old world and the rebirth of the new, current one. Maybe. But it still takes a bit of a will power on my part to suspend disbelief.

Agon Games, a theme that has been popular lately, i.e., The Hunger Games, etc. That's not what's annoying. What's annoying is our femme fatale goes too stupid to live (TSTL) during the fights. Royally annoying!! So everybody is fighting for their lives and it's not going well for our heroes, and she just stands there, and watch!?! WTF!! Cat has never been this dumb before, why the sudden TSTL now??... Then as if that wasn't enough, the plot depended on the characters who are otherwise level-headed to be TSTL to create drama in the story lines... What was that all about?? That brought the rating of this book down a notch or two.


Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 4.5
Character development = 4
Story itself = 4
Writing Style = 4.5
Ending = 3.5
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 2.5
Pace = 4
Plot = 3

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 cherries


Books In The Kingmaker Chronicles:



About Amanda Bouchet
Amanda Bouchet
Amanda Bouchet grew up in New England where she spent much of her time tromping around in the woods and making up grand adventures in her head. It was inevitable that one day she would start writing them down. Drawing on her Greek heritage for the setting and on her love of all things daring and romantic for the rest, her debut trilogy, The Kingmaker Chronicles, took form. She writes what she loves to read: epic exploits, steamy romance, and characters that make you laugh and cry.

Her first novel, A Promise of Fire, won several Romance Writers of America chapter contests, including the Orange Rose Contest and the paranormal category of the prestigious Golden Pen.

A French master's graduate and former English teacher, Amanda lives in Paris, France. She met her husband while studying abroad, and the family now includes two bilingual children who will soon be correcting her French.


Thursday, 5 October 2017

A PROMISE OF FIRE

A Promise Of Fire by Amanda Bouchet
Book 1 of The Kingmaker Chronicles
Genre: epic fantasy
Format: paperback


About A Promise Of Fire:
Catalia "Cat" Fisa is a powerful clairvoyant known as the Kingmaker. This smart-mouthed soothsayer has no interest in her powers and would much rather fly under the radar, far from the clutches of her homicidal mother. But when an ambitious warlord captures her, she may not have a choice…

Griffin is intent on bringing peace to his newly conquered realm in the magic-deprived south. When he discovers Cat is the Kingmaker, he abducts her. But Cat will do everything in her power to avoid her dangerous destiny and battle her captor at every turn. Although up for the battle, Griffin would prefer for Cat to help his people willingly, and he's ready to do whatever it takes to coax her…even if that means falling in love with her.
Source: Info in the About A Promise Of Fire was taken from GoodReads at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27015399-a-promise-of-fire on 06/08/2017.



A PROMISE OF FIRE
My Thoughts:
For a minute there I thought I was reading a Harlequin Romance! But no, just a fantastic epic fantasy with a strong romantic bent. This book anyway. I'm not sure if there would be another couple in the next installment. Might or might not be. From the impression I got in this book, this series is about our leading couple and their epic journeys with magic and dragons and evil villains. And, oh... a prophecy. Don't forget the prophecy! Formulaic... eh?! Its not the formula, it's how the tale is told, that wins the game! And this one did! Win, I mean. So why not a five, then? That's because it ended in a cliffhanger. Although I expected that, I was still sour about it. Though the book did end the plotline in the book, it also left a tantalizing beginning of the next book which continues on the main story arc for this series. Which of course how serieses goes. But that don't mean it's still not irritating!


Empirical Evaluation:
Story telling quality = 5
Character development = 4.5
Story itself = 4
Writing Style = 4
Ending = 4
World building = 4.5
Cover art = 5
Pace = 4.5
Plot = 4.5

Overall Rating: 4.5 out of 5 cherries


Books In The Kingmaker Chronicles:



About Amanda Bouchet
Amanda Bouchet
Amanda Bouchet grew up in New England where she spent much of her time tromping around in the woods and making up grand adventures in her head. It was inevitable that one day she would start writing them down. Drawing on her Greek heritage for the setting and on her love of all things daring and romantic for the rest, her debut trilogy, The Kingmaker Chronicles, took form. She writes what she loves to read: epic exploits, steamy romance, and characters that make you laugh and cry.

Her first novel, A Promise of Fire, won several Romance Writers of America chapter contests, including the Orange Rose Contest and the paranormal category of the prestigious Golden Pen.

A French master's graduate and former English teacher, Amanda lives in Paris, France. She met her husband while studying abroad, and the family now includes two bilingual children who will soon be correcting her French.