By: Melissa Caruso
Publish Date: October 24, 2017, Audiobook Release November 9, 2017
Format: Audiobook - 14 hrs 15 mins
Narrated By: Saskia Maarleveld
Genre: Fantasy
Series: 1st in Swords and Fire series
Impression: Quick moving fantasy where life styles are questioned.
Synopsis:
In the Raverran Empire, magic is scarce and those born with power are strictly controlled -- taken as children and conscripted into the Falcon Army.
Zaira has lived her life on the streets to avoid this fate, hiding her mage-mark and thieving to survive. But hers is a rare and dangerous magic, one that threatens the entire empire.
Lady Amalia Cornaro was never meant to be a Falconer. Heiress and scholar, she was born into a treacherous world of political machinations. But fate has bound the heir and the mage.
War looms on the horizon. A single spark could turn their city into a pyre.
First Sentence:
"Here, my lady? Are you sure?"
Purchase At:
Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Book Depository
Audible
My Thoughts and Summary:
*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
I found Saskia to be a pleasure to listen to from the first words. She adjusts her tones for the characters, male or female, and age. What really drew me in, the infliction of personal thinking and feeling in words. She becomes the characters and world as she speaks. Saskia feels to fit this part well. The characters speak with words as their standing in the city. Saskia also adds the personality and attitude that goes with station in the world as well. Together they fit perfectly, drawing the story into a fourth dimension in audio.
The story is well done at drawing me in at the beginning, drizzled with details of the world and city we are in yet making me curious as to what is happening. When the first chapter ends, I worry and wonder what it is that has happened to Lady Amalia Cornaro. Is she drawn into something unknowingly because she's helping save the city?
This story is weaved together as the world and people are one. They influence each other and live off each other, thriving or fighting depending on what's happening around them. There is more than one thing going on in Amalia's life and she has to face it all. I like that she has this pressure from many sides and deals with all, and it's not done as one thing at a time. This makes the story so much more interesting and keeps me invested.
My thoughts align with Zaira when she talks of the Empire having the falcons at the Mews. Zaira has a strong feeling on this. The Empire make sure the mages are taken care of, in order to use them. Zaira makes many great points in this debate, yet no one listens. Many see the system as a way to work and protect the mages. Yes, it's true, but I understand what Zaira is saying as well. It makes me wonder if there's a better way to have this set up, and if anyone would do it as I'm sure the Empire loves having the power they have at their command. I liked seeing that other characters start to see the system is flawed and will think about changing it, but it takes time.
Amalia makes a small growth changes in this book, and it's in the way she sees things I felt was detailed and shown to her through actions of others. I feel the reason is Amalia is more open minded and kind to everyone. She starts to see the way of things as being complicated but the rules are the rules. Amalia is learning as she goes, readying to be on the Council of Nine when her time comes. In the end, Amalia seems confident in herself to make decisions and grows in her thinking even more. Zaira is the one that makes the greatest character growth for me. She's hard, and still hard in the end, but she starts talking to Amalia about the way things are, opening eyes of a few to how things appear to others. These two do make a great team, even though they couldn't be more different. I love them working together.
This is fantasy and for me it moved faster than some fantasies I've read. There is always something happening or to learn in each chapter. Events happen and are all related to each other. I love how they feel natural in this world! I'm intrigued by what I learn in each chapter. I wasn't 100% sure who was behind the attacks and planning of sparking a war between Ardence and the Empire's main city of Raverra. I wanted to know everything Amalia came across and who was responsible.
****If you found my thoughts helpful, please click Yes at Amazon. Thank you!
I found Saskia to be a pleasure to listen to from the first words. She adjusts her tones for the characters, male or female, and age. What really drew me in, the infliction of personal thinking and feeling in words. She becomes the characters and world as she speaks. Saskia feels to fit this part well. The characters speak with words as their standing in the city. Saskia also adds the personality and attitude that goes with station in the world as well. Together they fit perfectly, drawing the story into a fourth dimension in audio.
The story is well done at drawing me in at the beginning, drizzled with details of the world and city we are in yet making me curious as to what is happening. When the first chapter ends, I worry and wonder what it is that has happened to Lady Amalia Cornaro. Is she drawn into something unknowingly because she's helping save the city?
This story is weaved together as the world and people are one. They influence each other and live off each other, thriving or fighting depending on what's happening around them. There is more than one thing going on in Amalia's life and she has to face it all. I like that she has this pressure from many sides and deals with all, and it's not done as one thing at a time. This makes the story so much more interesting and keeps me invested.
My thoughts align with Zaira when she talks of the Empire having the falcons at the Mews. Zaira has a strong feeling on this. The Empire make sure the mages are taken care of, in order to use them. Zaira makes many great points in this debate, yet no one listens. Many see the system as a way to work and protect the mages. Yes, it's true, but I understand what Zaira is saying as well. It makes me wonder if there's a better way to have this set up, and if anyone would do it as I'm sure the Empire loves having the power they have at their command. I liked seeing that other characters start to see the system is flawed and will think about changing it, but it takes time.
Amalia makes a small growth changes in this book, and it's in the way she sees things I felt was detailed and shown to her through actions of others. I feel the reason is Amalia is more open minded and kind to everyone. She starts to see the way of things as being complicated but the rules are the rules. Amalia is learning as she goes, readying to be on the Council of Nine when her time comes. In the end, Amalia seems confident in herself to make decisions and grows in her thinking even more. Zaira is the one that makes the greatest character growth for me. She's hard, and still hard in the end, but she starts talking to Amalia about the way things are, opening eyes of a few to how things appear to others. These two do make a great team, even though they couldn't be more different. I love them working together.
This is fantasy and for me it moved faster than some fantasies I've read. There is always something happening or to learn in each chapter. Events happen and are all related to each other. I love how they feel natural in this world! I'm intrigued by what I learn in each chapter. I wasn't 100% sure who was behind the attacks and planning of sparking a war between Ardence and the Empire's main city of Raverra. I wanted to know everything Amalia came across and who was responsible.
****If you found my thoughts helpful, please click Yes at Amazon. Thank you!
I think I'll have to try this sometime, I find a lot of fantasy are a bit too slow for my taste so a faster one sounds more my speed!
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