BOOK REVIEW | A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet

Title: A Promise of Fire
Series: Kingmaker Chronicles #1
Author: Amanda Bouchet
Publication Date: August 2, 2016
Pages: 448
Source: I checked this out from my library!

Catalia "Cat" Fisa is a powerful clairvoyant known as the Kingmaker. This smart-mouthed soothsayer has no interest in her powers and would much rather fly under the radar, far from the clutches of her homicidal mother. But when an ambitious warlord captures her, she may not have a choice…

Griffin is intent on bringing peace to his newly conquered realm in the magic-deprived south. When he discovers Cat is the Kingmaker, he abducts her. But Cat will do everything in her power to avoid her dangerous destiny and battle her captor at every turn. Although up for the battle, Griffin would prefer for Cat to help his people willingly, and he's ready to do whatever it takes to coax her…even if that means falling in love with her.

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A Promise of Fire has to be one of my favorite novels of this year! I haven't read a ton of fantasy this year, and certainly no high fantasy to this extent. In fact, this is the first adult fantasy novel that I have ever read. This book marks off a lot of firsts for me!

What makes the Promise of Fire stand out from all of the books I read was how fantastic both the plot and the characters are! If I had to choose one over the other, I prefer plot based novels over character based. However, I love it more when there is a perfect blend of the two. A Promise of Fire did exactly that. The characters are dynamic and the plot is always intruiging. 

One of the things I adored was the romance! I'm a sucker for a haters turned to lovers relationship, and the one in A Promise of Fire has to be one of the best I've ever read. Cat and Griffin have explosive chemistry; the romance was one of my favorite aspects of the book. 

What pushed A Promise of Fire into being a five star book for me was the world building. As I mentioned earlier, I don't read fantasy all that often (though I want to!). I'm an amateur fantasy reader, and yet I wasn't confused while reading this. Bouchet did an amazing job with her world building.  I was able to imagine the world Bouchet created without any issues. 

Another thing to add to the plus column are the secondary characters! I always hate it when secondary characters are cardboard cutouts of each other and have no real personality. This is not the case in A Promise of Fire. Every single character has a distinct personality. Everyone is realistic; none of them are perfect and their flaws made them so much more believable.

The plot itself never grew old. I was always ready to see where Bouchet would take the adventure next! Cat is essentially taken prisoner and forced to make a country long trek with complete strangers to the palace. Along the way, the crew come across many dangers, and it was so much fun to read about! Throughout the book there is always the underlying question of who Cat is. She has a troubled past (to put it mildly) and I loved how bits and pieces of her were revealed as the book progressed. 

I could go on for much longer about why I loved this book, but then I would be rambling. The only issues I was able to correctly guess some of the big twists early on. I love it when I'm surprised, and A Promise of Fire didn't necessarily do that. However, it kept me rapt with attention the whole entire time. I have already read the sequel, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint in the slightest. I eagerly recommend you to pick up this series! It is hands down one of my favorite books of the year! 

With that, I give this book
4.5 out of 5 Stars!

Have you read A Promise of Fire? What is one of your high fantasy favorites?

Thanks so much for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!