A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet

Narrated by Mia Barron

Fantasy and mythology romance lovers, do I have a treat for you! Somewhat of a cross between George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones and a grown-up version of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series, A Promise of Fire adds a flare of romance to an intricately woven fantasy plot. This book, the debut of the Kingmaker Chronicles series, had me simply mesmerized. I could not put down my earphones, so I binge listened to this close to 15-hour book in a little less than two days. From the clever mythology-based setting, which was introduced in easily digestible, bite-sized increments that made understanding this world seamless, to the romantic tension between the spunky and powerful heroine and her loyal and alpha hero (yet comically named “Beta Sinta” because he’s the second in command of the realm of Sinta), not to mention the heroine’s snarky humor (as this book is written in the first person from the heroine’s point of view), this listen has something for every romance lover! Moreover, as if the captivating story is not enough to get you to listen, the narration by Mia Barron is also expertly done, making this a great choice to experience in audio format.

The world in A Promise of Fire is made up of two basic kinds of people, those who have magic (the “Magoi”) and those who do not (“Hoi Polloi”). For many years, the three realms (Fisa, Tarva, and Sinta) have been ruled by people with magic, with the lands in North (Fisan lands) having the most power. However, in a revolution the realm of Sinta (which sits in the South) has been taken over by a non-magical family. Griffin, the hero of this story – and who appears to be the real person that is calling the shots, though he has put his older and extremely meek and gentle sister, Egeria, on the throne – is a part of the ruling family of the realm of Sinta. Although Griffin and his family have taken over the rule of Sinta with their incredible might and wit, Griffin knows that to keep the land he must find a powerful soothsayer to guide his family in ruling the kingdom and determining how to out maneuver the inevitable politics with the other realms (something that Hoi Polloi have no experience in). So, Griffin sets out on a mission to locate a powerful Magoi to fill this role. The woman he finds is none other than our heroine, Cat.

Cat has been hiding out in a circus, clearly afraid of being found. Although she has made good friends there, she lives in constant fear of her past. Immediately you get a sense that Cat has unparalleled magic, and even a connection with at least three and possibly more gods (she is the goddaughter of Poseidon and also has the protection of Zeus and Hades through the circus owner). Among her magical powers, Cat can tell if someone is lying, has the power of invisibility, and can steal magic from others. Some of the magic she has stolen allows her to expel fire. Cat, however, has no desire to be caught or, for that matter, to be the tool of a royal family ever again. So, she tries to escape Beta Sinta, but he has some tricks up his own sleeve, including that he is immune to magic (even though he has no magic of his own). Griffin therefore takes Cat by force, including the use of a magical rope that ties her to him. Coerced to be in such close proximity, Cat is forced to really get to know Beta Sinta and his entourage, including the other members of the royal Sinta family. Little by little, Cat begins to realize that not all royal families are the same and that Griffin’s family is kind, loyal, and benevolent. Even as she starts to want to help them though, Cat becomes afraid that they do not have the ruthlessness that it takes to hold onto their realm. The unspeakable horrors that she was subjected to as a mere child are a testament to the vicious ways that are necessary to remain in power in a world where everyone, including siblings are constantly pitted against each other in a constant power struggle over who will be the “Alpha” (primary ruler) of each realm.

As such, Cat becomes protective of Griffin’s family, and tries to instruct them in ways to appease the Magoi nobles in Sinta, even as she knows that those from her past who are looking for her will destroy Griffin’s family if they find her. Moreover, the fact that Cat and Griffin begin to start having feelings for one another further complicates matters, as Cat knows her past will destroy anyone who comes to mean anything to her. Can there possibly be a HEA under these circumstances? And who is the real Cat, and why is she in danger? Can Griffin possibly hold onto the realm of Sinta with such dire circumstances in the mix? Will Cat end up being his salvation or death?

Mia Barron does a fabulous job of bringing all these characters to life. Perhaps my favorite part of her narration, since the vast majority of the story is told in first person from Cat’s perspective, is Ms. Barron’s voice for Cat. I love how Ms. Barron brings forth the snarky, comical lines while at the same time varying her tone for the more serious ones. I also thought Ms. Barron’s timing worked to heighten the mood of each scene. Again, from the impeccable timing for the comedic lines, to the fast-paced action ones, the listener can often tell what is going on just from the sound of Ms. Barron’s voice.

Perhaps my only observation regarding Ms. Barron’s delivery is that she doesn’t provide a huge difference between her male and female voices. All that said, I had no trouble distinguishing the speaker in any scenes. Additionally, within the characters of the same sex, especially the females, Ms. Barron communicated personality differences just through her intonation. For example, you could hear Egeria’s docile and kind manner from her voice, and Cat’s stronger, more jaded one from hers. I also loved how Ms. Barron took into account changes in circumstances even within the same character’s voice. In another example, there is a scene where Cat is depleted of her energy, and Ms. Barron appropriately varies her voice to sound exhausted.

All in all, A Promise of Fire is a very promising fantasy romance debut. I can’t wait to see how Ms. Bouchet continues to develop this world, and the romance between Griffin and Cat, in Book 2, A Breath of Fire, scheduled to be released in January.

BJ


Narration: A-

Book Content: A

Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in

Violence Rating: Fighting

Genre: Fantasy Romance/Sci-Fi

Publisher: Recorded Books

A Promise of Fire was provided to AudioGals by Recorded Books for a review.

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