~ About the Book ~
Abiassa’s people fall. Her Deliverers wait as Poired Dyrth marches unchecked through the Nine Kingdoms. He’s taken the Embers of countless Accelerants. He’s taken Zaethien and Hetaera, the mightiest cities of the Nine. He’s taken the blood of the royal family. Now Dyrth is after Haegan’s power—the Fierian’s power. And after that, he wants the world.
But Dyrth will not take it unopposed. Battered and outnumbered, the remnant of the Nine forge new alliances, make friends of enemies, and prepare to stand against the last great press of evil. In faith, they wait. The Fierian will come.
While war rages without and within, Abiassa’s people face their greatest need. But before the Fierian can fulfill his destiny, he has to defeat the enemy in his own mind.
Series: #3 Abiassa’s Fire
Genre: Fantasy
Release date: 6 March 2018
Pages: 496
Publisher: Enclave
Amazon US // Amazon AU // iBooks // Goodreads
~ Excerpt ~
Fires burning bright.
Water cold and brittle.
Smoke thick and choking.
Voices loud and quiet.
Haegan Celahar gripped his temples, curling in on himself. Burrowing beneath the thick blankets, he growled, willing the dichotomies away. Silencing the chaos. But it didn’t work. Somehow, his attempts to quiet the raging storm only strengthened the howl within.
“Release the Fierian! Release the Fierian! Release the Fierian! Release the Fierian!” The voices roared through the night. Through the day. Through first rise. Twelve bells. The great feast. On and on. Maddening. Reassuring.
For the last fortnight it had echoed, making demand of . . . someone. It was startling at first. He’d spun around, searching for the voice, the owner, but only found the quiet beauty of the Infantessa’s palace. “Pray, did you hear that?” he’d asked of Thomannon. Of Trale. Of servants. Even of the great queen herself. Alas, none heard the voice demanding someone release the Fierian. All dismissed his questions as readily as they would an annoying insect crawling over their hand.
That was enough to drive him mad, but then there existed a second voice, hollow, tinny, and insanely quiet, piercing his every thought. Though but a whisper against his soul, it called—no, screamed to him. The whisper that punctuates the thrum of the heartbeat like respiration.
Haegan curled tighter. Goraned. There was nothing worse. If only that would stop, then he—
“Haegan . . . “
This, this voice, proved cruel and tormenting. A ghost vaulting from his failed past. “Father.” A moan, miserable and raking, clawed through his chest. That voice haunted him with unrelenting fervor.
“Prince Haegan,” Thomannon said firmly. “Twelve bells meal is served.”
Ignoring the servant would only elicit anger, which invariably brought a beating—not with hands or fists, but through more of that voice. He’d had plenty. Most days. Most meals. Because he cared not if he ate. If he lived. If he died. Existence no longer mattered.
Hands gripped his arms, tossing him from the bed.
“Release the Fierian.”
The Fierian.
Why did that sound familiar? The word displeased the Infantessa. She’d flown into a rage more than once at the voice’s demand.
Haegan blinked. Looked at the patterned rug beneath his fingers. How had he gotten here? Why?
“You must eat, Prince,” Thomannon intoned dully. “The Infantessa wills it. If you do not, you will not be strong enough to sit at her table.
Her table. A place of honor that I never had at home, where I was relegated to the tower to hide the affliction. “Of course,” Haegan muttered, climbing onto all fours. His limbs trembled beneath his own weight. He could not disappoint her.
But as he crouched there, staring at the swirls of the carpet, something . . . something important—
“Prince!”
Haegan shook his head and lumbered to his feet.
A robe wrapped his shoulders. “There now, Prince. The table awaits.”
~ Review ~
At last!!! It has been quite a wait for this final book in the Abiassa’s Fire trilogy, but it is finally here, and every bit as fantastic as I was expecting it to be. If only it wasn’t the end! I’m really not ready to let go of these characters yet. Two in particular… But more on that in a minute.
I said it in my review for the previous book in this series, but it bears saying again: Boy, can this gal write! And it’s not just the words themselves; it’s everything they give life to—the characters, the plot, the world she’s created. It’s addictive, I tell you! As you would expect from high fantasy, the showdown between good and evil is the climax the series works towards, but a big part of what makes this series—in fact, all of Ronie Kendig’s books—so compelling is the diversity of the relationships that play out along the way. And I’m not just talking romance (although she’s created one of my all-time favourites in this last in the series). I’m talking familial, political, even the characters’ perceptions of themselves. They provide so much of that coiled tension that I love in this author’s books, and it is the growth and resolution in these relationships that provides much of the satisfaction this series has given me.
These characters have come such a long way from where they were at the beginning of the series, particularly Haegan. He gets thrust into his role as Fierian completely unprepared (as in, bedridden unprepared) and every challenge, every failure, every setback pushes him on to better himself far beyond what he would ever have believed himself capable of. I love his character arc. But if I’m going to be honest, I’m a complete sucker for Tili. He caught my attention in the last book, and totally hogged it in this one. And he has definitely met his match in the woman who catches his eye. Okay, I was trying not to, but *SQUEEEEEEEE* Only Ronie Kendig could write the kind of sparks that fly there!
Even if you’re not usually a fantasy reader, I would encourage you to pick up this series. It’s compelling, it’s totally absorbing, it’s flat-out fantastic in every sense of the word! More please!
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not influenced the content of my review, which is my honest and unbiased opinion.
~ Previous Books in the Series ~
~ About the Author ~
An Army brat, Ronie Kendig grew up in the classic military family, with her father often TDY and her mother holding down the proverbial fort. Their family moved often, which left Ronie attending six schools by the time she’d entered fourth grade. Her only respite and “friends” during this time were the characters she created.
It was no surprise when she married a military veteran—her real-life hero—in June 1990. Married more than twenty years, Ronie and her husband have homeschooled for the last eighteen years. Despite the craziness of life, Ronie finds balance and peace with her faith, family, and retired military working dog in Northern Virginia.
Connect with Ronie: Website // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Pinterest
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