Is prophecy real; can Arridia and Joss defeat a god?
Evil never sleeps, and neither can the fire spirits who have guarded Kesta and her family so faithfully for more than fourteen years. United in a desire for peace, the four lands beneath the sky have enjoyed relative stability, but under the surface stirs unrest. Greed, ambition, disquiet, rebellion; and the ever-present threat of Geladan’s crazed god discovering she has been fooled.
Quiet Arridia is a Raven Scout, dedicated to the principles and hopes of her parents. When an opportunity presents itself to come home, she grasps it, longing to settle and find the love she has patiently waited for.
Fun-loving Joss is drawn to the court of Elden with all its colour, noise, and intrigue; but has he taken on more than a young man can survive?
Raven Fire is the final part of the breath-taking Fire-Walker saga.
If you could, would you dare to change the world?
My Review
One of my favourite fantasy series of all time has come to an end and I am not okay! Send tea and chocolate, I need to recover in a sofa nest, I officially have a book hangover.
Raven Fire is the final book in the Firewalker saga. I have adored these books from the very beginning, the first book I gave 4 stars to, the others have all been 5. If I could rate them higher I would and I knew Emma would take us out with a bang.
As usual this review will contain no spoilers for Raven Fire, however, being the last book in the series it would be impossible to review without mentioning books that have come before. If you are unfamiliar with this series, start with The Raven Tower. You can read my review of that here.
The Timeline
Something I really appreciate with this series is how Emma moves the timeline with each book. We have moved on 20 years since Kesta was first forced to marry The Dark Man. And 14 years since the ending of Raven Storm, where we left Arridia and Joss after nearly falling to the Goddess of The Geladan’s.
This has given the characters time to come into their own, to grow and develop their powers. I did find I needed a few chapters to get my head around who was who again, but Emma is very good at letting you know where everyone fits in without going over old ground. Everything about this story is fresh and does rely on you having read the previous books.
Queen of Ice
Emma has written a standalone book called the Queen of Ice; I would actually advise you to read that before this book. Yes, it is a standalone but you will have a far better understanding of some of the characters if you read it first. If like me you were a little confused by the epilogue of that book it will all make perfect sense when you read this.
The Story
So, the Geladan’s are back and this time the Goddess is coming with an Army. There is a power play in Elden and the King has his eye on suitable marriages for his daughters. Who is up to no good and will the prophecy involving Arridia and Joss come to pass. There is so much going on and it all weaves together beautifully.
The book is told from multiple viewpoints which works fantastically well for this story. The characters are so wonderfully written and well fleshed out. You can feel their inner conflicts, their trauma and guilt as they try to come to terms with what needs to be done.
This particular book is incredibly fast paced, the action scenes are especially well written. Emma pulls no punches, remember Osin! All I’m saying is don’t get to attached. I had so many heart in the mouth moments, followed by an audible ‘nooooo’. Honestly, I think I am broken.
We haven’t even touched on the spirits. We finally get to meet all the elemental spirits in this book, I love how they all come together and their unique abilities. I found myself favoring the earth spirits, I think like Nip I would have a particular affinity to them.
The Bard is back, how could he not be. I love him, he’s my book boyfriend, hands of, find your own! Seriously though, the relationship between Dia and him is one of the best platonic friendships you will see.
Final Thoughts
If you are looking for an epic fantasy series that will sweep you off your feet. Give you incredible world building. Some of the most independent, fearsome female leads I have ever come across in fantasy. Action scenes that will make you heart beat faster as you read them. Rounded all off with some of the best creatures you will ever see. Then what are you waiting for. You need to read this series.
My thanks to Rachel for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Emma for writing a series that has captured my whole heart. Books like these are the reason I adore reading.
Purchase Links
US – https://www.amazon.com/Raven-Fire-Fire-Walker-Book-4-ebook/dp/B091TYD38X/
UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Raven-Fire-Fire-Walker-Book-4-ebook/dp/B091TYD38X/
Author Bio
I often get asked when I knew I was a writer; the answer is always. A writer is what I am, it’s in my soul. There have been times in my life when I couldn’t write, and times when my writing has been the only thing that kept me going. I think I always longed for something deeper from life, something more meaningful, and I found it in my imagination and in the music of words.
It was poetry which first caught my attention, and whilst my younger cousins called for ghost stories it was animals I first wrote of. I think I gravitated toward fantasy because of the freedom it gives, I could create my own worlds and decide my own rules. My Wind’s Children trilogy was born from an image that came to me whilst daydreaming, of a young man sitting alone below a bridge. I didn’t know who he was; it turns out neither did he, but we found out together.
I’m now working on my eleventh book and love writing more than ever, it’s an addiction, an obsession, but one I now share with my wonderful writing family. My beta readers, my editor, and you, my readers, having you with me on my journey means the world to me.
I write as much as I can around work, but I also try to squeeze in a ridiculous amount of hobbies! I’m a wildlife photographer and do a little archery. I paint, sculpt with clay, withies and driftwood, preferring to be outdoors if I can. I still have a love for the theatre, having started out in life studying backstage crafts, and a great love for language. I speak a little French, Romanian and Italian, ma non molto bene!
Thanks for reading this. If you read any of my books and love them, please come say hello and tell me, you’d be surprised at how much that means to an author.
Take care of yourself.
Em x
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