Release Date: February 10th, 2009
Genre:  Fantasy, Romance
Publisher: Candlewick
Pages: 342
Rating:
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Summary:

Inside an ancient temple in the mountains, fi fteen-year-old Zira trains in the martial arts to become a warrior priestess who can defend the faith of the Ruan people. Bearing a scar on her face from the fire that killed her parents, the orphaned Zira is taught to distrust the occupying Sedornes. Terror strikes when the forces of the tyrannical Sedorne king destroy the only home she knows. To survive, Zira must unravel the secrets of her identity, decide her people’s fate — and accept her growing feelings for a man who should be her enemy.

Review: If you've read my review of Marriott's The Swan Kingdom then you know that I was pretty darn eager to get my hands on this book. And to be completely honest, I was initially disappointed. Daughter of the Flames didn't grab me as quick as TSK did. It took me nearly a week to read the first 100 pages. I thought the story was beautifully written, but a little slow.

But BOY did it pick up. All of a sudden, all of that exposition started to pay off in a HUGE way. Zoe has a brilliant talent for character creation. Not only was Zira one of the most intricate and complex heroines I've ever had the pleasure to meet, the choices and thoughts she had really made ME think!

My absolute favorite part of this story would be the villain. I've NEVER encountered a villain like this before. His character was so convoluted and conflicted. I almost wish that we could have a book from HIS perspective. I say "almost" because I think I might go insane if I had to read a book from inside his head. Sound confusing? That's because it's impossible to create a generalization for this character. I bet a lot of people won't even see him as the villain!

So, even though this book was a lot different from The Swan Kingdom I still LOVED it and I'm head-over-heels for Zoe's writing style. If you want a great romance with a lot of action, fascinating political intrigue, and AMAZING characters, pick up this book!



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