The Firemane Saga #1
“This is a long first act, brother.”
Balven
King of Ashes has a severe case of ‘First Book Syndrome.’ Introducing and maneuvering the main cast into position for Queen of Storms takes up the majority of the book. Thankfully, with the revelation of some of the political plotting at the end, Queen of Storms looks like it will be off to a good start.
Political intrigue is the primary driving force in this book, not a sole antagonist. Although, it does appear that there will be antagonists aplenty once the series hits its stride. Lodavico, Sandura’s king, is the instigator of the Betrayal in the prologue but lurks in the background for the rest of the book. The Azhante and Sisters of the Deep also seem to be future foes. The majority of those aggressively interacted with are bandits and unknown soldiers, so the true extent of these aggressors’ reach is yet to be seen.
I liked Declan and his story. He is hard-working and not afraid to get his hands dirty when needed. Hatu, on the other hand, frustrated me, primarily through the first three-quarters of the book. If he wasn’t brooding angrily about something, he was ruminating about his sexual desire for his childhood friend Hava. It got annoying rather quickly. Thankfully, his awakening took care of the first part, and circumstances took care of the second part.
Hatu grew up in Coaltachin, where he trained in the country’s powerful industries of espionage and organized crime. Through most of the book, it seems his true identity was an open secret among the community leaders. So, it bewildered me when some people appeared shocked by the revelation of his parentage. The council also made a choice that baffled me. When given options, they chose the one with the most potential to backfire and create a powerful enemy if it failed.
Overall, King of Ashes works well as an introduction to the world of Garn and the people there. As a solitary book, it doesn’t stand up so well. I hope it fares better as the prologue to Queen of Storms.
Edit: Queen of Storms absolutely makes reading this book worthwhile.
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