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The land has awoken, and news of magic's rebirth has traveled across the sea. Jahan, a daring noble who has been concealing his powers, is finally ready to stop hiding. Now he returns to the imperial capital, where the use of magic carries a death sentence. There, he must face his dark past, learn to embrace his gifts, and prevent an all-out war across the kingdoms.
Review:
The Waking Land, by Callie Bates, was one of my favorite books of 2017. I don't know how I missed reading the next book, The Memory of Fire when it came out last year, but it was equally amazing! Set in a magical world with lots of royal intrigue, the fun characters, story, and ending make this book a winner.
What I Liked:
Setting:There are lots of books with magic in them, but this world is one of a kind. Elanna, the Caveadear, can literally make the trees walk with her magic that is tied to the land! Jahan has a different sort of magic where he can move between walls, and start fires. I loved the fact that, although many people had magic, they all manifested it differently. This made the story so much more complex.
Also, the different kingdoms, with their varying values and prejudices, made the conflicts all the more realistic. Eren and Caeris, where magic once flourished have been overshadowed by the much larger empire of Paladis, where magic as seen as an abomination. Well, the biggest country makes the rules, so people with magic are in hiding (you don't want to know what happens to sorcerers in Paladis!). I couldn't help but feel the analogy between this fantasy world, and real-life world powers who assert their control over smaller nations.
Characters:
Jahan is the main focus of this book. Normally, I am more drawn to the female characters in these type of books. But the author really shows us Jahan's turmoil and struggles. His backstory is a heart-breaker.
Jahan must really reconcile that he hid his magic while others were being killed for their magical abilities. Was he brave to use his talents secretly to help others, or cowardly to not come forward and help even more? There are no easy answers in this book.
Jahan's family dynamic is so twisted, that it was no wonder he was a troubled soul. So many people used him, rather than protected him as a child, that it was no wonder that he had a difficult time with friendships and love.
Story:
The Waking Land was centered around Elanna, but The Memory of Fire is completely about Jahan. Elanna is a very minor character in this book. While I was annoyed at first, because I wanted to learn even more about Elanna, I now get it (book three will be about Sophy). This narrative choice makes each book very focused on the main character, without the pressure to keep Elanna in every scene. This really could have been a VERY large book with all three novels being parts I, II, and III. But I see the wisdom in breaking them into separate novels. All three books together are 1244 pages long!
Ending:
I really loved the ending of this book. One of my pet peeves with series is that usually book two is just one drawn out cliff-hanger! Not so with The Memory of Fire. The significant plot points are definitely resolved, but we know more is waiting for us. This was very satisfying for me as a reader.
Rating:
Release Date: June 5th, 2019
Author: Callie Bates
Publisher: Del Rey Publishing
Genre: YA Fantasy
Page Length: 464 Pages
Source: Public Library
Format: E-Book
Recommendation: With an exciting story set in a world of magic, The Memory of Fire was a page-turner! I loved it.
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