Book Review: Firestorm by Caitlin Ricci

Firestorm by Caitlin Ricci is an urban fantasy romance. For thousands of years the Elementals have chosen people to be their vessels as they help control the natural world and protect the people in it. Dante, Elijah, Stephen, and Christian are the latest generation of vessels. Stephen and Christian are destined to be together as Wind and Earth; Dante and Elijah as Water and Fire. Then Elijah dies abruptly, tearing Dante apart. Fire is reborn in Nicholai, and destined to be Dante's new mate—but Dante doesn't want someone new, and Nicholai is far too young to understand his new role and all his future will hold. As the years pass and Nicholai grows, Dante's constant refusals harden Nicholai against their bond, straining the relationship between all the vessels. But if they're going to protect the world and ensure a future—for themselves and everyone else—they'll have to find a way to get beyond their pasts and let old wounds heal.

Firestorm is labeled romance, and while it is about two people slowly, ever so slowly finding their way to each other. I had read one novella from the author in the past, and that had my thinking I would find something with similarly deep characters and romance. To be honest, I felt like this story fell into the trap of telling rather than showing and of having a character that I just could not like. Dante lost his partner- in work and love- and when the Elemental his partner housed is reborn in a new baby he shut down. I get grief, and I get not looking for a relationship with someone so much younger, but he was just a jerk. He could not even be nice to a kid tossed into a role he had no choice in. Nicholai is seems like a good kid- but as he grows the only thing I feel like I knew about him is his horrible childhood and suicidal tendencies. I just never connected or was able to care about either one of them, I cared more about the secondary characters- and frankly I did not think about them much at all. 

Firestorm is a book that disappointment me. I had high hopes for and was left with those hopes dashed and wondering just what I had read. I will try another book from the author, at some point, but I will not be rushing at this point. 

Book Review: The Firebirds Tale by Anya Ow

The Firebirds Tale by Anya Ow begins with the end of a familiar story: a Prince who never smiled, and by Imperial decree, has to marry the one who managed to make him do so. Except that it was all an accident, and the Prince would say he didn’t actually smile at the thief who dared to rob a Tsar, and the thief was not even a woman—or, as it turns out, even human.

The Firebirds Tale is set in a world based upon European and Eurasian folklore. I liked seeing well know, and lesser known, folklore pulled together and woven through the book. I also like that it is clear the author did her research and got Russian names and titles correct, which is not always the case. I found the sexual ambiguity and openness to be well done. It fed into the slow relationship building between Aleksei and Nazar, which made the story so sweet and left me wondering what the resolution might be until the very end. Watching the bond being forged, and fought, was very well done, but it is far from all the book is about. There are fairy tale retellings woven together to form a bigger picture. There is a good deal of commentary on politics and human nature as well, the desire for more, and to rule. The nature of war, and the destruction and pain it causes along side the drive some have for making it happen. Every now and then I did get a little overwhelmed with the amount of things going on, and it felt a little wandering on occasion.

The Firebirds Tale had a slow start for me, but when I finally sat down and power through it I found thing I really loved about the story, and some things that did not work quite so well for me.