For the first time in a millennium, the kingdom of Khalad is divided. The Battle of Athenoch has fanned the spark of Bashar Vallant’s rebellion to a raging flame. Tyzanta, jewel of the east, has declared for his cause, and other cities have followed. Vallant, the people’s hero, may soon be powerful enough to challenge Caradan Diar, Khalad’s immortal king.
But such power demands great personal sacrifice.
Afflicted with omen rot after channeling the Deadwinds to save Athenoch from the koilos army, Kat searches for a means to stop the disease killing her as it did her mother. Her journey will uncover secrets long since buried––secrets concerning her past, her family and the kingdom itself. Eventually she’ll learn that the past never stays buried in Khalad––and that the truth can cut deeper than any blade.
I won’t flatter myself into thinking this is something I’ll get to mention ever again. But Matthew Ward’s THE FIRE WITHIN THEM has a quote from my review of the first book in the trilogy on the back cover! This is the second (or…kinda the third?) time this has happened to me (Orbit also used one of my quotes inside Django Wexler’s EMPEROR OF RUIN, and then recently put that same quote in HOW TO BECOME THE DARK LORD AND DIE TRYING!)
But this was so wild, to see my name on the ACTUAL BACK COVER of a book by Matthew Ward. I’ve gone on record (the blog, that’s the record) as saying his LEGACY TRILOGY is my favorite fantasy trilogy ever, and that hasn’t changed. So yeah, wow. To see a quote from my review of THE DARKNESS BEFORE THEM used on the back cover here was something really special. And kinda like a jump scare, to be honest! They don’t tell you they are going to use your quote (or at least, they haven’t with me) so it’s quite a shock when you just causally flip the book over and there’s your name! There are few opportunities to be genuinely surprised in this life, so thanks to Orbit for this, it really is such a cool thing!
This is the second book in THE SOULFIRE SAGA, and like the first, it’s a whirlwind of emotions, rebellion, strange magic, and above all else, a wonderful cast of characters. This was outstanding & sets the stage for what is sure to be a wildly thrilling book three!
It’s clear right away that this is a different book than THE DARKNESS BEFORE THEM, as we immediately get a new POV character: Kat’s sister, Tanith. This is kind of a bold strategy by Ward here, and it ultimately pays off in a huge way. I don’t imagine Tanith was anyone’s favorite character from THE DARKNESS BEFORE THEM, so to include her as one of the main POVs is pretty incredible. And I mean…she’s a half-demon who feeds on people’s souls, so maybe not exactly hero material? But her story becomes so compelling here & I couldn’t help but start to root for her.
Meanwhile, Kat is dealing with the loss of her magical tattoo, and she’s afflicted with omen rot, a debilitating disease that’s slowly killing her, just as it killed her mother. She’s also dealing with the fact that her girlfriend, Azra, was not who she said she was. So, yeah. Things are looking rough for Kat, for sure. But she is surrounded by some seriously incredible & totally badass friends who are all looking out for her amidst the coming strife.
Like with the first book, Yali was such a breakout character for me. Having a deaf character in such a pivotal role, and having all the characters around her exhibit varying degrees of proficiency at communicating with her via sign language is just a great, inclusive element to this trilogy. To say nothing of the fact that Yali is kind of disarmingly hilarious. The friendship between Kat & Yali is kinda my favorite thing about these books, I think.
Rîma was a character I felt really drawn to in the first book, and wow. Her story GOES PLACES in THE FIRE WITHIN THEM, for real. There’s a lot more to her than we ever could have guessed based strictly on the first book, and yeah, her story (and backstory) ultimately brings us into some very unfamiliar territory. Exciting stuff!
These are big books & it can feel really daunting trying to review them properly. But I think this has been such a thrilling fantasy trilogy so far. For me, it always comes back to the characters. It doesn’t matter how cool the magic system is, or how intricate the world building feels. I mean, those are important too! But I think Matthew Ward writes some of the most genuine, messy, a lovable characters in fantasy. And this crew he’s assembled for THE SOULFIRE SAGA has my whole heart.
Huge thanks to Orbit for sending this one my way!
Grimdark Dad 