Aflame by Roseanna M. White Review

 

What an amazing story! I absolutely LOVED Aflame by Roseanna M. White. This is the second book in her fantasy series, Awakened. A world where there are some people who can be "Awakened" with "magic" or power over a specific element. Powers that come from God.

(Spoiler warning, if you haven't read the first book yet, you may not want to read the next paragraph as I mention some spoilers)

In the first book, we were in the land of Daryatla where the sea king Seidon has power over the water and it is discovered that Arden, the woman who becomes his queen, has power over the wind. In Aflame we travel to another continent in this world a hundred and fifty years later. Though we don't see King Seidon or Queen Arden, one of their children plays an important role in the story. 

In the land of Fjordlandi, there are different classes of people. The Blessed are the ones with power over the ice and snow. Then there are the Fjorders who live in the capital and can have the "important" jobs and a decent lives. Third, there are the Thanes, those who live under the domes and are treated almost as slaves, farming the land or working in the mines. And then there are those who are "cursed" and have been banished to the volcano. These handful of people have power over the lava and help keep the ring of volcanoes surrounding the land from destroying the land. 

We get to see the story from four points of view. Princess Valkyrja, or Kyrja, is the third-born child of the king and his consort. She is seen as unimportant until a tragedy arises, changing the trajectory of her life. Nikanor, or Nik, is a lowly thane who has arrived in the capital with his friend who has is a bit of a fan boy of Princess Kyrja. The same tragedy that affects the princess also completely turns his life upside down. Daemon is the first of the "cursed" daemons who had been tossed into the volcano a hundred and fifty years earlier. He's lived his life thinking the lies told about those with power over the lava are true. Now he needs to rethink everything he knows. And finally, we also get to see the point of view of Elianne, another "cursed" who has a secret she's been keeping from the other cursed daemons. 

The author really brings her characters to life, making the reader care deeply about them and what is happening to them. I love this world she has created, and loved seeing more of the world beyond Daryatla. And I love the twists that she weaves into the story creating a desire to continue reading to find out what is going to happen to our beloved characters. She also does a terrific job creating the villains in this series, in this book. There is romance, and adventure, and action, and faith. Characters who learn to trust in the Giver (known as the Triada to those in Daryatla) or grow in their faith and trust Him for their lives. 

 

I also loved how the characters worked to get rid of the class segregation and form a united Fjordlandi. 

Such a wonderful series and I can't wait for book three to release. 

I received an e-copy of this book as a member of the launch team and was not required to write a favorable review. These are my own honest thoughts.