FTC disclaimer: I was not sent this product. I am not affiliated with the companies mentioned. All opinions are my own.
Plot Introduction:
Cat's unique. She can tell truth from lies and also happens to have Poseidon in her pocket. But not everything is all rosy...
Every time she hears a lie, her body erupts internally with agonising fire. Also, her gift makes her destined to be the Kingmaker which is exactly what it sounds like -she can keep people on the throne.
However, Cat's heard a devastating prophecy about her future, and so she hides away as part of a travelling circus troop. Unfortunately, a certain warlord is determined to stop her hiding forever.
Rating: 3 / 5
I've only just figured out why the book is called 'A Promise of Fire', so for starters, Bouchet needed a better title. Whilst we're critiquing first impressions, the cover wrongly suggests some kind of icy landscape -totally at odds with the hot climate of Sinta where the story unfolds. And why the ugly crown!
Moving on to the actual substance of the pages. This could have been an all time favourite novel of mine, but everything just started sliding down hill about two thirds of the way through.
Starting with the good news: I loved the references to Greek mythology and religion. I could have had even more! It bolstered the fantasy world. The travelling segment of the book was funny yet exciting, keeping me in bed all day reading it (the palace third much less so). Cat herself was refreshingly self-sufficient; able to throw knives and breathe fire and whatnot. And the Beta Team was a fun concept, even if they had barely any character development. It was the love interest, Griffin, who filled the damsel in distress role for the most part.
That's when things started going down hill. Griffin literally had no personality trait except being selfless enough to give the throne to his sister (we find out later that he isn't that selfless at all). He was just so dull compared to Cat. Bouchet moved their romance forward at a very quick pace considering there are three books in the series -he said the L word about halfway through the novel which just sucked the romantic tension out of it.
Progressing onto my main complaint: there was some seriously awful subliminal messaging regarding consent in this novel. Cat repeatedly tells Griffin that she is not open to his sexual advances, yet he constantly 'persuades' her that her body wants him. And he gets his way. She just accepts that she cannot stop him. This is so problematic. My message to Griffin: SHE SAID SHE DIDN'T WANT TEA SO DON'T FORCE HER TO DRINK TEA !
To end my review with the ending of the novel: I just did not care that much. It felt super random.
Novel on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27015399-a-promise-of-fire
Author Website: https://amandabouchet.com/
Review written on 21/12/2021
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