Review: Cold Fire

Cold Fire by Kate Elliott

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I said about Cold Magic that it somehow got under my skin in spite of the very heavy world building at the start. Now it has gone from being under my skin to being a world that I am dreamily living in and don’t want to leave. The atmosphere is fantastic, the writing beautiful at times, the sense of place rich and layered. Regardless of characters and plot, being in the world is a feeling to savor.

This book takes us out of the frigid north that is still ruled by princes and mages into the Antilles, where a sort of democracy exists, and where you can almost smell the ocean and taste the fruit. The world building is done with a much lighter hand, expanding your view at just the right pace. Issues of independence, slavery, democracy, women’s rights, class, power, magic and fate - all are interwoven with an immediacy that makes a spellbinding tale. I love how complex the world gets with the growing unrest in multiple nations and the spirit world on top of that. It keeps me from getting bored and keeps me wondering how it’s all going to tie together. Let me just say it was worth the effort the first book took to get into.

And the plot itself is such an adventure! The action starts immediately, and takes completely unexpected turns, keeping me on edge. You know when you read a book that annoys you in some ways, frustrates you in others, and yet you are completely into it and enjoying being in it, and it wins you over by the end? That's this book. It’s an elusive feeling, hard to describe exactly why it grabs you when it may not grab someone else. I’m happy just to enjoy the fact and not over-think it.

One thing I’m really coming to appreciate about this series is the complexity of the characters. They are all flawed, sometimes making stupid decisions, or decisions they believe are right but end up being poor choices once they have more of the facts. Sometimes they’re just plain immature and regret it later. Everyone has their own agenda, not necessarily good or bad, but their goals are not all the same, and there are betrayals, small and large. No one is trustworthy all the time, but most of them are likable some of the time.

I should mention that there is romance, more in this book than in the first. But it’s not the whole story, and I’m enjoying this aspect of the series as well (once Catherine stops being stupid, that is). I’m amazed at how much I ended up liking Vai. He was such a pompous, arrogant, cold prick in the first book, but turns out being much more than he seems. When I found out more about him my opinion did a complete turnaround. Now I’m attached to both him and Catherine, and I’m afraid of what they’re going to have to go through in the last book. Whatever happens, I’m going to try not to rush through it.



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