Flamecaster: Shattered Realms

This review might not be coherent. I really loved this story, but it’s complicated. It’s hard to explain. My love for this book is hard to talk about. Bear with me as I try to put my thoughts about this book into words.Flamecaster is one of those stories that has everything I want in a fantasy. This story had many layers, well drawn characters, descriptive world building, magic, dragons, and a promise of more to come. Yes, I did say dragons. There is a bloody dragon in this story! I am scared of dragons in fiction, honestly. Making them seem real is difficult and not everyone can pull it off. *Adds Cinda Williams Chima to the very short list of people that can make a dragon seem real.*The beginning of this book was addictive and the action didn’t let up throughout the story. I loved the descriptive writing and the promise of magic, so I became hooked right away. The writing in this story is amazing. Seriously, I am blown away. The world building is so exciting. We get to see a snippet of the Seven Realms. Ash is in a school in Oden’s Ford, then he travels The West Road with Lila. He makes his way to Ardenscourt. In Ardenscourt, we explore everything from the dungeons to the tower. Meanwhile, Destin gets sent to Deliphi. Jenna is a resident there. Destin is on a mission to bring Jenna to Ardencourt. Then Ash and Jenna meet… (there’s also a map if you want to follow along like I did)Adrian sul’Han (aka Ash) is on a mission to kill the King of Arden. Ash is a mage and the son of Han? (don’t fault me for not knowing who Han is people, I am new to this author)Jenna Bandelow (aka Flamecaster) was raised by step-parents. She was abandoned by her own parents because of a mage mark on her neck basically targeting her. She is immune to magic and everyone is looking for her.Ash + Jenna.Those are the main characters. We also get a perspective from Lila Barrowhill, who is on a mission to protect Ash. She might be my favorite character b/c she is a smuggler/black-marketer. Lila is a bad ass. I want to learn more about her. The other character who gets some attention is Destin Karn. He is a character working intelligence directly for the king. I am not sure how he is going to fit into all of this because his loyalty seems to be to the king of Arden, but we’ll see how he plays out.This is my first book by Cinda Williams Chima, but it won’t be my last. I am looking into getting every single book this author has ever penned and adding it to my collection. I really want to read the Seven Realms series now. Plus, it will give me something to do while I count the minutes to the sequel for this book. Don’t try to tell me not to. I know a lot of people said I couldn’t read The Grisha Trilogy after I read Six of Crows and I did it and enjoyed all of them.If you are a fan of YA fantasy, you need to read this book. That is all.

Like many others, my expectations were extremely high for this novel, and for the most part, Cinda Williams Chima is successful in her continuation of the story. From the outset, it is clear that while the setting has changed, a generation has passed; attentive readers will note the subtle shifts in culture, as the world belongs to the new faces of the next generation. This shift, however, may disappoint fans of the series, as little time was spent detailing the 25 years of events that happened since the conclusion of The Crimson Crown. If you are looking to reconnect with with former favorite characters, you will be disappointed, but such a shift allows for more independence for each of the main characters, which is no bad thing.Chima's primary strength lies in her ability to create compelling characters, and here she succeeds with high marks, although certain pacing issues made the experience less immediate than usual – these pacing issues will be discussed shortly. The primary male and female protagonists are delightful mixes of good with a healthy splash of evil, and supporting characters are no less intriguing. Settings are wonderfully detailed, befitting of the high fantasy genre. Plot lines are up to the high standard that Chima has set for herself, and intersect each other with perfection. Chima skillfully has given each important character his or her own agenda with varying amounts of scope, very well done!All of this being said, although I recommend Flamecaster, it is not without reservations. The new book has lost a bit of the je-ne-sais-quoi that made the first four books of the series so special. But, I think I know what is missing. Chima's pacing is different in this book, she seems a bit rushed compared to the earlier books. Here are several examples: the first major plot event happens in the second chapter. Readers would have richly benefited from more backstory before this event happened, and would have made it much more powerful. To try to summarize the missing story by saying “And with it, Adrian's childhood” merely calls attention to this omission. The readers want to know more so we can empathize more. Was it a good childhood? A sad one? Was Adrian spoiled? What was his relationship with his older sister like? Knowing the answers to these sorts of questions would have gone a long way toward creating the empathy that I have become accustomed to when reading a Chima novel. A second, similar example can be found in the progression of a certain romantic relationship; again, it comes across as rushed, and a bit unbelievable as a result. As mentioned earlier, these pacing issues caused a bit of a delay in my ability to connect with the characters. By the end of the book, I had a very good connection with the protagonists, however this connection took a bit longer when compared to some of Chima's other novels.I am going to speculate. I suspect that the primary reason for this shift in pacing is that Chima is trying her best to squeeze a richly nuanced story into the space of only 2 books.(UPDATE, see end of paragraph) From what I understand, Flamecaster will be followed by Shadowcaster. Two books is simply not enough space for Chima to accomplish her goals. While Flamecaster is well-edited and concise, the resulting change in Chima's writing style is noticeable. Chima is at her best when she has space to work with; even in her Heir Series, the first three books as a set were stronger than the next two. So to the fine folks at HarperCollins, I hope that you can give my favorite best selling author free reign to continue the amazing work that she continues to produce, it will only get better. In all, Flamecaster is certainly recommended, and I very much look forward to what's next from Cinda Williams Chima. UPDATE!! There will be at least 3 books in the series, Shadowcaster will be followed by Stormcaster!

This is a very well written novel! If you like classic fantasy but still want something that feels new, captivating, and has a good pace, this is a perfect read for you!

Começo parece meio devagar, mas depois que a história te prende é impossível parar de ler!A autora mais uma vez consegue nos prender em uma nova história incrível, trazendo novamente personagens importantes da saga anterior mas que não é necessário conhecimento prévio para a nova leitura

Llego con unos pequeños detalles esteticos, nada muy importante, y por lo que me costó, pues esta bien, supongo, decia q era el último disponible en ese momento, el libro esta Increíble, es una historia que te atrapa desde el principio!

Blog: irenadams.comCaution, mild spoilers ahead."We don't protect them because they're weak. We protect them because they are strong, and strong people make enemies."This was one of the books that I got to pass the time while I was on my 20-day trip. I rarely read so many books, so fast and one after another. I read fast, but normally I don’t have enough time for it.I have not read Seven Realms series and maybe I missed something, I think all the fans of C. W. Chima will tell me that of course, I did. But I came in green and I found it as a good start for the YA series Shattered Realms, even though it is clearly meant to be a part of a larger story.Flamecaster… I still don’t understand why this was the name of this book… Well, technically one of the main characters was called this way and C. W. Chima tells us why, but I didn’t feel like it was enough. The explanation certainly didn’t satisfy me.There is a lot of work done on character development. They all have their problems, their stakes in the conflict and its resolution. They all have a different point of view which is understandable since they all have a different background. We can easily relate to all of the characters in the book.I liked the writing, it was sharp, concise, showing enough of the world to leave the rest to my imagination. The characters were attractive, keeping me turning the pages to figure out what is going to happen to them, to discover who they are.But what I don’t like about some books is when there is a need to show a scene or a few from the point of view of a secondary character to avoid any future plot-holes. Such is the case for the part of the book narrated from Destin and Lila. I think the author easily switched from one character to another, showing the world through their eyes, each with his or her own view. But the constant change in the narrator kept me wondering who were the real protagonists of the book.And the same went for the story arc. I understand that this is a part of a series, but even though I had trouble figuring out the conflict for a long time. I mean, yes, it is kind of obvious, but with so many different protagonists I had too many doubts. I still don’t understand the reason for the presence of the St Malthus Priests in the book, except to cause tension in the moments when it is much needed. I guess the explanation will follow in the next books in the series, but for me, it will rest a mystery.

very easy to follow and read. really good story.. I have bought all the books of shattered realms