[Review] Flamecaster (Shattered Realms #1) by Cinda Williams Chima

Flamecaster by Cinda Williams Chima

Series: Shattered Realms #1

Rating: 3 stars

Format: ARC Paperback

Published: April 5th 2016

Goodreads Synopsis:

A burning vengeance.
Adrian sul’Han, known as Ash, is a trained healer with a powerful gift of magic—and a thirst for revenge. The son of the queen of the Fells, Ash is forced into hiding after a series of murders throws the queendom into chaos. Now Ash is closer than he’s ever been to killing the man responsible, the cruel king of Arden. As a healer, can Ash use his powers not to save a life but to take it?
A blood-based curse.
Abandoned at birth, Jenna Bandelow was told the mysterious magemark on the back of her neck would make her a target. But when the King’s Guard launches a relentless search for a girl with a mark like hers, Jenna assumes that it has more to do with her role as a saboteur than any birth-based curse. Though Jenna doesn’t know why she’s being hunted, she knows that she can’t get caught.
Destiny’s fiery hand.
Eventually, Ash’s and Jenna’s paths will collide in Arden. Thrown together by chance and joined by their hatred of the king, they will come to rescue each other in ways they cannot yet imagine.
Set in the world of the acclaimed Seven Realms series a generation later, this is a thrilling story of dark magic, chilling threats, and two unforgettable characters walking a knife-sharp line between life and death. 

I absolutely adored the Seven Realms series, which came before Flamecaster. Action, romance, and a main heroine who shared the same name as me? Sign me up.

Flamecaster follows the generation after - Ash, or Adrian sul'Han, is the son of Queen Raisa and High Wizard Han. We enter the book with the family mourning the loss of the princess heir Hana. Alternating POVs reveal our heroine Jenna Bandelow, a rogue spy with an unknown past and a magemark hidden under her hair. The two of them come together in Arden, both seeking revenge on the cruel king Montaigne. We also have Lila Barrowhill and Destin Karn, whose shifty allegiances to the king make us wonder whom they really are.


The first few chapters had me in a sad state. A very important character of the first series dies suddenly, and it takes me awhile to realize this may have been to kickstart the plot, but still. Why? Sadness.

Anyhow, Flamecaster starts to follow a more or less a similar formula to its predecessor - rogue royal disappears off to Oden's Ford with an alias, but is prompted into action by mysterious forces. It's entertaining, but still, expected. The twists are not expected, but I can't help but think of the Seven Realms when I read.

But instead of the Fells, our protagonists spend their time in Arden, where the stakes are different. Ash, under the name Adam Freeman, is employed as one of the king's healers and is forced to wear a collar to be placed under his control. Jenna is finally caught by the king and is in the midst of being bargained for an army from Carthis.

At this point, I've finally gotten into the book. The plot is exciting and the political intrigue is well, intriguing.

But wait, then instalove happens in the form of Ash and Jenna. There's absolutely no chemistry. I read that there are sparks but I do not feel these sparks. There is less than 200 pages to the end of the book, and they've miraculously fallen in love. I'm baffled. They have just met, too! I guess this is how romance works.

Needless to say, I did not care for the romance. It's a sidenote to the overarching story and felt unnecessary.

The pacing of the novel then picks up and everything is revealed in the end. The dragons in here reminded me of ASoIaF, down to Danaerys walking through fire with her dragons. No surprise here that I've been rooting for the supporting characters over the main ones this time around. Queen Marina is a badass. Lila Barrowhill is super sassy and great.

All in all, I'm interested in picking up the sequels but I'm not as compelled as I was towards the Seven Realms series.