by Hilari Bell
published by Simon & Schuster
Summary (Goodreads): Stories are old of a hero who will come to Farsala's aid when the need need is greatest. But for thousands of years the prosperous land of Farsala has felt no such need, as it has enjoyed the peace that comes from being both feared and respected.
Now a new enemy approaches Farsala's borders, one that neither fears of respects its name and legend. But the rulers of Farsala still believe that they can beat any opponet.
Three young people are less sure of Farsala's invincibility. Jiaan, Soraya, and Kavi see Time's Wheel turning, with Farsala headed toward the Flames of Destruction. What they cannot see is how inextricably their lives are linked to Farsala's fate - until it's too late.
In "Flame" the first volume of The Book of Sorahb, Hilari Bell introduces readers to a world of honor, danger, and magic in this spell binding tale of self-discovery.
My Thoughts: This book would have been better for me if it had only been told by Jiaan and Kavi. At first I thought that Soraya was going to be the type of tom boy princess everyone likes. It turns out she is the tom boy princess with the mean girl princess attitude. I did not like or feel bad for her at anytime during this book. Even at the end when she gets new of the first battle I couldn't muster any sympathy towards her.
This seemed more like a set up book for the future. We got to know the main characters on all sides and the politics/history of both sides of the impending war but not much else happens. I liked Jiaan and understood his confusion as the illegitimate son of the general. Never knowing his place or how his father really feels about him. He seems like he could be a really strong character, it will depend on if he can get the rest of the deghans to follow his plans for saving their lands. Kavi may seem like the bad guy in all this but again, after hearing his back story, you can understand the decisions he made. He seemed to grow towards the end and make a hard decision that could potentially come back to haunt him.
I kept waiting for djinn to show, the closest we get is the Suud. I'm interested in learning more about them and the magic they use.
The ending seemed to be pointing to the three main characters heading in the same direction, towards the same goal. I'll be reading at least the next book to see where it is going but too much Soraya and her attitude and I may be giving up on these books.
Rating: 3
