Rise of Fire (Reign of Shadows #2) by Sophie Jordan
Book Summary
Luna and Fowler have escaped the kingdom of Relhok, but they haven’t escaped the darkness. When a battle against the dark dwellers mortally injures Fowler, Luna is faced with a choice: put their fate in the hands of mysterious strangers or risk losing Fowler forever. Desperate to keep the one bright part of her life alive, Luna accepts the help of soldiers from a nearby kingdom. Lagonia’s castle offers reprieve from the dangerous outside world—until the king discovers both Fowler's and Luna’s true ties to Relhok and their influence over the throne. Now pawns in each kingdom’s political game, Luna and Fowler are more determined than ever to escape and build the life they’ve been dreaming of. But their own pasts have a tight hold on their hearts and their destinies. Luna must embrace the darkness and fire within her before she loses not only Fowler, but the power she was destined to inherit.
Book Details
Rise of Fire by Sophie Jordan
Reign of Shadows #2
Young Adult Fiction / Fantasy/ Retelling
Published February 7th 2017 by HarperTeen
Hardcover, 294 pages
My Rating: 3 Stars
Book Review
RISE OF FIRE is the concluding book in the YA fantasy duology and picks up immediately after the cliffhanger ending in Reign of Shadows.
The story continues with Luna and Fowler fleeing the kingdom of Relhok when Fowler is injured by a dark dweller. Discovered by soldiers, they are taken to the kingdom of Lagonia where unwittingly they become part of a political scheme against the king of Relhok.
After reading and enjoying the first book in the series, I was anxious to pick up Rise of Fire. I needed to know what happens to Fowler and Luna.
One of the elements they drew me to this series is the fact that it is an inspired tale of Rapunzel. Yet, it was the dark world and its creatures that ending up fascinating me. In the first book, Jordan drew me in with gorgeous writing and swoony romance. Between the danger lurking around every corner and the romantic tension, the pages flew by.
The drawback to this story is that it now takes place mostly in a castle and introduces new characters who are used mainly for romantic tension, while political mechanization abound. Fowler and Luna are separated for the majority of the time which took away one of the main driving factors and enjoyment of this series.
Also, as much as I like and admired Luna for her tenacity and determination, there are just too many dangerous situations where her lack of sight became almost nonexistent in form.
Chasan, the king of Lagonia’s son, added plenty of romantic tension. While Fowler still remains my favorite, I found my self sympathizing with Chasan and could understand some of his actions. The king is a terrible and sick tyrant. What surprised me is how little the false king of Relhok, Tebald, actually plays a part in the story as he is supposed to be the villain.
When Fowler and Luna are once again together, the story felt like it did during the Reign of Shadows. The romantic tension, danger, and adventure were all there. The narration between these two made the ending worth it, but I had to wait too long for it.
I waited a long time to pick up this series, and I’m glad I finished it. I feel as if this series could have been combined as one book with some of the romantic tension in book two taken out and less political games.
As a reader, I wanted more of this dark and dangerous world, not a castle and dresses. Fowler is a star and Luna admirable. They needed to be together to shine in this dark world.
