A powerful and intriguing novel, Fire of Forebears is definitely a read for those who are fans of the Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings series; a strong fantasy plot lines lurks within its 635 pages.
The book focuses on our two main characters, Kura and Tristan, who are both from completely different walks of life. She is the daughter of a former deserter and therefore lives as an outcast in the shadows, determined to secure a better life for her family. He is a prince and the son of the rebel king who’s reign of fear has governed the kingdom for years. We follow the characters on their initially separate journeys which, of course, eventually intertwine, posing a whole new interesting dynamic. I enjoyed the interplay between the two: L.A. Buck has a knack for developing incredibly detailed and deep characters with powerful back stories and believable personalities that clearly govern the way in which they make their choices and the novel progresses. Both are incredibly likeable and yet, so different in their approach to the events that unfold. Their interesting association was definitely one of the selling points of the novel and with it being the length it is, it gave the reader time to indulge in the slow and realistic development of their relationship rather than the rapid speed at which characters often form alliances and friendships.
With twists and turns throughout the entire book, all is not as it seems. There literally is a surprise waiting in each individual chapter. However, I did find this a little hard to follow at times, especially given the multitude of supporting characters; I would possibly go far as to say that for me, there were too many other protagonists who played a crucial role in the development of the story. Added to this was the fact that with it being a fantasy novel, the characters were of course from a varying range of backgrounds and mythologies, which again made it a little confusing in places, especially in terms of remembering who is who.
For those who a diehard fans of fantasy novels, I honestly believe that this is an excellent read. It has pace and passion, twists and turns, and plenty of moments where magic truly comes to life. For me personally, did find its length pretty heavy going at times; I could certainly appreciate that it was a well-written book but it did not truly hook me in the ways that my favourite books do. However, The Book Dragon is very grateful to have been given the opportunity to review this book on behalf of the author and does believe it warrants a 4 stars.
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