Flamecaster by Cinda Williams ChimaMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I'm always a bit hesitant to read a spinoff series in case it somehow lessens the original. I enjoyed this one thoroughly, though. It moves to the next generation after the The Demon King series, and I was sad to see the turmoil and grief that haunted the kingdoms, but I also felt like it was a totally new story.
This series is written a little differently, as companion novels with a single, overarching story. I found it really helpful to know in advance that there are different main characters in the first three books. As I was reading, I also found that the story sometimes backtracks to cover the same period of time with a different character.
So just know that the story is told in a more parallel than linear fashion, and be prepared to be introduced to new characters when you're dying to know what's going to happen to the old ones. Some of the main characters do make appearances in books where they're not the focus, and the final book does pick back up with all of them so you're not left hanging. And like I said, I enjoyed the whole thing.
