I loved the representation in this book so much. The pacing of Fires of Vengence is slower than the action-packed pace of Rage of Dragons, but the expansion of the world makes it just as enticing. There is also quite a bit of character growth for Tau himself which was lovely to see

Nebula, Locus, and Alex Award-winner P. Djèlí Clark goes full-length for the first time in his dazzling debut novel: A Master of Djinn (Tordotcom, 2021).

Cairo, 1912: Though Fatma el-Sha'arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she's certainly not a rookie, especially after preventing the destruction of the universe last summer.

So when someone murders a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most famous men in history, al-Jahiz, Agent Fatma is called onto the case. Al-Jahiz transformed the world forty years ago when he opened up the veil between the magical and mundane realms, before vanishing into the unknown. This murderer claims to be al-Jahiz, returned to condemn the modern age for its social oppressions. His dangerous magical abilities instigate unrest in the streets of Cairo that threaten to spill over onto the global stage.

Alongside her Ministry colleagues and a familiar person from her past, Agent Fatma must unravel the mystery behind this imposter to restore peace to the city--or face the possibility he could be exactly who he seems...

"The Fires of Vengeance" is one of the best sequels by an author whose previous book was its debut. Neither the protagonist nor his allies nor his adversaries are new to warfare. They are all seasoned fighters and political players who carry on the war because of their beliefs of the same Goddess. Given everything that happens in this book, the dragons are a bonus! Both the stakes and the emotions are higher this time, and Evan Winter’s characters collide in order to prove their side is the strongest and the most powerful one. And, readers will enjoy every moment of it!

The Fires of Vengeance is the exciting sequel to The Rage of Dragons which was one of my favorite books the year it released. This series is turning out to be an Epic Fantasy readers dream. The non-stop action continued and I got a bit worn down. However, I took it in bits and pieces and savored the time I spent in Winter's world of the Omehi people. Like book 1, this is not for the weak and squeamish, lots of fighting, lots of bad things happening to good people.

Honestly, the storytelling and writing are some of the best I have read in a long time. Evan Winter's has the chops to go far in the fantasy genre and I look forward to the next two books in this series and am excited to see where he will go after that.

The Fires of Vengeance continues The Burning series where The Rage of Dragons left off. Obviously you will do yourself a great disservice if you jump into this book without first reading the first book in the series. However, assuming that you have done that, this book easily falls into the category of: What you thought of the first book will probably be true with book #2. That does not mean that it offers the same experience as The Rage of Dragons and that it offers nothing new. Heavens no!

As a point of clarification, if the reader of the first book enjoyed the nuance of the world from the first book, then this offers a deeper exploration into its history and the various castes within the world. If the reader loved the emotional tension and the thirst for revenge from the first book, then this will see what happens when the goal and focus of that wrath moves nearer to its fulfilment, and whether or not satisfaction is found in that journey. Finally, if the reader found the African-inspired world as either familiar or at least easy enough to immerse themselves into, and if they did not struggle with names and cultural rhythms, then this one will feel like coming home. In contrast, if any of these tripped up the reader in the first book (even a little), they run the risk of the same in this new installment.

For me, I truly believe this book was well worth any awkwardness, any un-ease, and effort I found myself in as I continued into this next installment.

So much of this story hinges on the character of Tau. Where the end of the first book saw an end to his training period, it did not diminish his quest for vengeance. In fact his new position complicated everything. On one hand he now has responsibilities and a different role. Now, he has some authority, but within a greater loyalty to the queen which doesn’t always compliment his own desires and objectives. There is still a compulsion and fierce determination within him, only now it is in uncharted territory and an unproven direction, as he learns how to do travel into and do combat in the realm of Isihogo (the demon world).

We also get a shift in Tau in how his relationship with the queen evolves. As the story unfolds, Tau is forced to reconsider what is most important, and he is faced with the consequences of his singular motivation of revenge. This is one heart-breaking scene 2/3 of the way into the book where we see what happens when he places his own selfish plans above the greater good. He is traumatized with guilt over this and he is clearly affected.

Where much of the fighting in the first book was in the realm of training, this is truly war. There are real enemies who are both powerful and intent overthrowing Tau’s world. There is much more combat, and while it is very well done, it did come a bit too much for my taste. It certainly felt like it fit the escalation that was happening in the story, and it was given reprieves at times to help the reader catch a breath, but it was definitely a much more intense story than the first book.


In this book, the stakes are higher, the threat is greater, and the emotional toll it takes on Tau is more severe. Again, if you liked the first book you’ll love this one. It worked for me. 4.3 stars out of 5. Very much recommended.

(A special thank you to Orbit for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.)

Content Warnings: violence, gore, death – murder and suicide,
THE FIRES OF VENGEANCE, the second book in the The Burning Series by Evan Winter, is an epic military fantasy that has completely upended my life. Set on the fictional land of Xiddeen, with characters fuelled by rage, fear, and the burning desire for vengeance, Winter weaves an exciting, blood-soaked story of being thrust upon a path of survival and revolutionary change.
I devoured THE FIRES OF VENGEANCE in two days flat – an impressive feat for a self-proclaimed slow reader. There is no way you can embark on this journey on a leisurely pace – the breakneck nature of the sequence of events had me in a desperate need to read the next page, next chapter. I needed to make sure characters were okay, or how successful a plan turned out. There was no way for me to set this book aside without thinking ‘What is going to happen? Who is going to survive? Just how much can go wrong?’. Winter does a magnificent job with pacing and revealing information in a way that doesn’t feel info-dumpy and yet is not lacking in other areas either. There are moments of rest between incredible scenes of tension, but the story never dulls or loses steam. The quieter moments had just as much hold over me as the action scenes which only made the experience that much greater.
If there’s one thing Evan Winter is going to do, it’s right an absolutely wicked fight scene. This was one of my highlights from reading THE RAGE OF DRAGONS and I was so happy to see they weren’t lost in the sequel. Though there are many throughout the series, I never grew tired of them – each sparring scene or battle sequence is so well written. The pacing of the fights had me holding my breath, bidding myself not to skim to the end of the page to release myself from the stress. They are intricate without being confusing, and each fight leaves you in wonder of the tactics of characters like Hadith and Kellan, the sheer willpower of characters like Tau and Uduak. These scenes were to me the shining glory of both books in the series and have me excited to see how much more exciting they will be on greater scales in the rest of the series.
Along with that Winter navigates grief, love, hate, rage and desperation with such a finesse that I often found myself rereading the softer more introspective parts of the book. In a world plagued with violence the characters are constantly confronting loss and to see the different ways in which they choose to cope, to carry on for their greater goals is one of the softer yet still hard-hitting wonders of Winter’s writing.
This is a story of a flawed system, of those it has failed and hurt continuously in a bid to maintain a sense of order and control. The balance of power within the Omehi society is upended and questioned with the lower-caste soldiers being afforded the respect the higher class have exclusively reserved for themselves. The ideas of how their society is ordained to work by their Goddess are turned on their head, and no one is afforded the luxury to gently get used to the idea as they are in the middle of a war of survival. There were some parts that literally stopped me in my tracks as those sentiments are a clear reflection of the racial tensions in our reality today. To see the constant degradation and mistreatment of a group of people based on nothing other than the class they were born to and the features they had had me feeling a type of way. Though handling a bigger war narrative, Winter weaves in this part of the story with just as much care, understanding that they are not separate to the bigger plotlines, but instead influence it in a way that cannot be ignored.
One of my favourite aspects of this series is when we are given the story through a changed perspective. A large majority of the story is told with a focus on Tau but there are a few chapters where we see the events from either a character we have not spent much time with, or have just been introduced to. Being able to see the actions of our main characters through a different lens was often a jarring experience. Though we know characters like Tau are making choices that are driven by rage, hurt, and the need to survive, to see them layered with the abject fear of those who don’t understand these actions or how he came to a place that allowed him to make them so effortlessly was an Experience™ to say the least. To get a glimpse at these characters without their rationale, and to see just how intense their behaviours are left me with a slow-building doubt that we were indeed following the ‘protagonists’ of the story. Tau has never wanted to be hero – he had set himself on a path of vengeance and all other perspectives of the impact he had on those around him, or the legends that surrounded his name were inconsequential to him, and that is clear in his actions and his thinking. He has no intention of being more than he set out to be and so does not consider the far-reaching ramifications of his actions, outside of potentially losing his loved ones, and the terror of that reality is focused on when we get these varying perspectives.
THE FIRES OF VENGEANCE is a stunning continuance in the The Burning Series never once losing the steam and fluidity established in THE RAGE OF DRAGONS. We follow the story as our cast of characters are pushed to their limits while navigating new political terrain, learning more about themselves and their world. Winter has created an enthralling world of violence and duty, with flawed characters who have somehow managed to blur already muddy lines. I was on the edge of my seat for so much of this series, yet I am desperate to be back in this world, holding my breath and too much tension in my body when the next instalment arrives.

Evan Winter creates a brilliant world, people and history that one can't help be drawn to. The story draws readers in and holds their attention and until the very end, and then leaves them wanting more.

The Fires of Vengeance is the second book in Evan Winter's "The Burning" epic fantasy series, which began with The Rage of Dragons. That first book, which I believe was originally self published before being picked up by Orbit, was a hell of a start to a brutal new epic fantasy series (Review Here) inspired by Winter's Xhosa heritage and which dealt with issues of class, race, revenge, and colonization. I compared the first book in that review to the anime Berserk because well: you had a revenge driven protagonist willing to go to unthinkable lengths to get stronger and achieve his goals in a world that is absolutely arrayed against him. It ended in brutal form, and I was absolutely thrilled to get an early copy to read the sequel.

And well, The Fires of Vengeance is an impressive follow-up, in pretty much all the ways you would imagine. Our protagonist Tau remains a compelling determinator as he tries to wreak his vengeance in a world that seemingly wants more and more of him, and the series' side characters, both new and old, get some strong development as well to build this world up. And we continue to deal with serious themes all the while. Combine it all with some impressive writing that uses different points of view in some rather clever ways, and well, this is another winner.

Note: If you couldn't tell from the first book, this is an absolutely brutal book, bordering on grimdark. If you enjoyed the first one and were able to deal with that, there's little here that will change your mind, although I guess I should add a Trigger Warning for SUICIDE.

Spoilers for book 1 are inevitable to follow:
-------------------------------------------------Plot Summary-----------------------------------------------------
Against all odds, Tau Solarin is the Queen's Champion, the greatest warrior of the Omehi. But the cost has been impossibly high - Tau's love had to sacrifice herself to save them all, his squad is nearly destroyed, and the noble Tau has sworn vengeance upon - Odili - escaped...and has crowned Queen Tsiora's sister Esi and holed up in the capitol city. Now the fragile potential peace between the Omehi and the indigenous Xidden has broken thanks to Odili's betrayal, the Omehi are on the verge of civil war, and nightmares from the past may be returning.

To save them all, and to get his vengeance, Tau will need to lead the Queen's forces against their former allies, to quickly end the civil war before the conflict with the Xiddeen can re-ignite. But the Nobles aren't so eager to follow a Common man like Tau and his friends, and Tau will soon find foes on nearly every front in the path of his rage. In order to survive them, and to do the impossible once more and defeat his enemy, Tau will need to teach his friends the secret to his strength...and hope they won't go mad with the pain like Tau has....and hope that Tau won't go even more mad, in the process.....
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Like its predecessor, The Fires of Vengeance is mostly the story of Tau, and thus is mostly set from his perspective. But the key word there is mostly - Winter is absolutely not afraid to move his third person point of view around to other characters to convey the mood/feeling of a scene and of the characters in question, including memorably in one last chapter that flips everything on its head till it seems almost like horror. It's a fascinating approach that Winter uses to great effect and I'm hard pressed to describe it used in another book like this.

This approach allows Winter to continue the story of this brutal epic fantasy, but to expand the plot further as you would expect. So we still have Tau bitterly seeking his vengeance, now with an official position as the Queen's Champion - a Queen he finds himself having feelings for (and vice versa), as we learn a lot more about her (she wasn't really a character in the last book). But you also have Tau fighting the indigenous Xiddeen, and dealing with their leader's need for vengeance and the pain he can wreak - to say nothing of his brilliant stratagems. You have not just Odili - the spoiled evil noble whose death is Tau's goal - but you have the Queen's sister, and other nobles who are prompted also to rebel at the idea of equality between the Lessers and Noble castes. And, as you might expect from the first book's prologue, you have the threat of more, of supernatural creatures like Demons and the legendary beings who once chased the Omehi from their own lands onto the shores of Xidda, where they abused the dragons to become conquerors.

Winter deftly manages to deal with all of this with brutal and still excellently done combat scenes and tremendous character work, in ways that made this book near impossible to put down. Where certain events seem inevitable or foregone conclusions, Winter twists them in interesting/different ways, and so the book is the furthest thing from "predictable" and yet it never feels unfair in its narrative. And again we're dealing with issues of class and race, and colonization and its impacts, on cycles of vengeance and despair and how all of the issues involving these things often find themselves being balanced by the short and long term needs of society, such that true justice isn't possible to be achieved. This is a pretty horrible and brutal world, where even the good guys (and our protagonists are the colonizers, even if they were chased by a foe into doing it so they're not exactly "good") are often not quite as good internally as they seem and the bad guys have points of view which cast them as just and worthy of victory.

It all ends with an ending that is a tremendous cliffhanger, albeit one that still works with the main conflict of this book resolved a chapter earlier. This book doesn't quite handle all of its issues and ideas: an early plot point and issue that Tau brings up to himself is never mentioned again, and not in a way that made me think it would ever come up again in a sequel.* Still, it's overall really damn good and well, I want the sequel as quickly as possible, whether that sequel is the end of the series or not.

Full Video Review Here: https://youtu.be/f9On96Z2lMs

Fans of the original book in Evan Winter's The Burning will feel right at home with the double swords as Tau continues his fight alongside Queen Tsiora in a fantasy series that continues to be just different enough to please traditional fantasy fans new and old.

The Fires of Vengeance // by Evan Winter

The Fires of Vengeance is a direct continuation of The Rage of Dragons. Tau is trying to come to terms with everything that happened previously, temporarily distracted from his rage by grief, but finds his way back to his purpose with the help of the young queen. If you thought the first book was chock full of action, then prepare yourself for this one! Your mind will be spinning from how much can happen at once but when you're in the middle of a war, then that is to be expected of course. It is interesting to see though how Tau no longer has a singular focus as before. The tragedies that strike from different directions allow us to see him in a different light as his own motivations twist and change as he adapts to the different situations. I seem to be alone in this but the more I learn about Tau, the more he seems to remind me of Kvothe, which is a favorite fictional character of mine!

Something that I was not the biggest fan of in this book as it kind of pulled me out of the book a little each time it happened was that there are a couple of chapters that are told from the point of view of other characters. I can see how it is important to the story because your perception of people and certain situations changes quite a bit due to the knowledge you gain from those characters, but the way it was done was a little jarring sometimes for me. But as I said, it really changed the way I viewed some of the characters, making them more layered and helping us understand their motivations and goals better. It really changed my opinion of one main character in particular in a way that I'm not entirely sure if it was intentional and if it was, then I am even more intrigued to see where this is going! Once again, all throughout this book, I am very impressed with the emotions Winter makes me feel, whether they are triumphant, mourning, hateful, or anything else.

One of my favorite things in a new to me fantasy series is learning about the world and its history. If you were intrigued by that in the first book, then you will really love that in this one! I honestly could've sat there and read about just that by itself for hours, but the author does a good job of smoothly incorporating those lessons into the book all throughout. Another thing that brought a fascinating tension and has us rooting for the underdogs again is how the social system of the Omehi is being shaken to its core. It is very exciting to have such an intelligent general in charge that knows exactly when to step up and when to step back to take full advantage of his soldiers and to see him navigating the issues that have arisen with the shakeup of their social system.

I enjoy books that both tie up the big event of that specific book as well as leave you wanting more. The anticipation that Fires left me with is huge and not knowing when the next one will come out is nerve-wracking! The intrigue, the war plans and execution, the emotions, and conflicting motivations, it's all so well done and I cannot wait to read more!

I’ll be honest, I was a bit nervous picking up The Fires of Vengeance because I wasn’t sure that I would remember everything that happened in The Rage of Dragons. Thankfully, Evan Winter was reading my mind because the first section of the first chapter is Tau retelling Jabari all the events of book one while he is in recovery thanks to all of the burns he sustained during battle.

The First of Vengeance picks up right where The Rage of Dragons left off. Tau has been named Queen Tsiora’s champion, and he must do whatever is necessary to protect the Queen from potential harm. He doesn’t get much downtime since a plot to usurp Queen Tsiora, at the hands of her Ruling Council, immediately unfolds. Much to Tsiora’s and Tau’s dismay, this unrest is the least of their problems since they get wind of even more dangerous threats lurking in both the Queendom and the underwold (Isihago).

Where The Rage of Dragons was mainly about Tau’s training, fighting, and revenge, The Fires of Vengeance shifts focus and really digs into the complexities of court politics as well as the stringent caste system that everyone follows. This allowed us to see a different side of Tau since his usual MO of running into situations with swords blazing would only result in loss of his comrades. I enjoyed this character metamorphosis because previously Tau would’ve resorted to blind rage and revenge when disrespected by higher ranking caste members who refused his council, but here we see why it’s imperative for Tau to alter his tactics in order to accomplish the Queen’s tasks.

I am still none the wiser when it comes to Queen Tsiora and Nyah, the Queen’s Vizier. While both of these two take centerstage alongside Tau in this story, the majority of their personalities and intentions remain elusive throughout this book. That’s not to say that they are uninteresting or that we don’t learn a great deal of information surrounding them and the Queendom, I am just still on the fence about the two of them.

I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but there’s definitely a romance ship in here that sailed for me, and I was jumping up and down when it was confirmed. Unfortunately, you’ll have to read the book to see who I am referring to (sorry not sorry).

As far as the plot pacing goes, there were definitely moments where the story slowed a bit for me, but that was because we were gaining more information about the court politics or learning more about the underworld (Isihago). I felt that I had a much firmer grasp on the Isihago this time around. The world building in this story continues to be spectacular. It’s rich and immersive, and Winter leaves out no details. There is still lots of fighting, action, and gore (which by now we know that this author does not shy away from).

There’s honestly so much more to say, but I’ll be here all day so I’ll wrap this up. Oh, and like with book one, The Fires of Vengeance ends on a cliff hanger (rude). Now I am impatiently waiting for book three.

Thank you to Shealea from Caffeine Book Tours for the tour invite. Thank you to Orbit Books for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

I just don’t know how Evan Winter does what he does. He builds this fantastic world with such rich history and heartbreaking characters and this book completely bypassed the ‘second book slump’ that some series of books can have. Winter manages to continuously present new information to us and unveil even more of his brilliant world that he has shared with us. We find out more details about the history of the Omehi before they arrived to their new land as well as new information regarding the Cull, a group that we did not hear that much of in The Rage of Dragons.

Winter’s emphasis on female leads in this second book surpassed my expectation that his writing couldn’t possibly get any better. We are presented with many new female characters, whom I couldn’t help but fall in love with. They proved to be just as fierce and loyal as Tau and his brothers in arms and I loved every minute of it. The part that women played in this novel was significantly greater than that of the first book and I am so thankful for that change.

And let’s not forget the action in this book. Winter could write movies with the way his action scenes are set up and I would pay good money to see them. There are action filled books and then there are books written by Evan Winter. He is in a tier all on his own. I never really liked to read about action before reading Winter’s books, but I now realize that I have been missing out immensely.

Being able to pick up The Fires of Vengeance immediately upon finishing The Rage of Dragons was a truly a blessing for me. Evan Winter is one of the reasons that I picked up reading again. He gave me a group of people to root for who looked like me. The black representation is off the charts and I don’t get to read books like this too often. Thank you, Evan Winter, for this wonderful quartet of books and I cannot wait to read the rest.

I received an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

My Rating: 5 Stars

Do you ever wish that you had some direct form of communication with the author of a book you’ve just finished so that you can ask them what they expect you to do with your life now? Hi, yes, Evan Winter? WHAT THE HELL DO I DO WITH MY FREAKING LIFE NOW? How am I expected to wait another year for the next book in this series? I honestly don’t think I’ll survive the wait. I need more Tau please.

Those who follow me on Tik Tok and Instagram probably know by now that The Rage of Dragons was one of my favorite reads of 2020, and as a result The Fires of Vengeance has been at the top of my most anticipated list. I was a little nervous for it, because how do you follow up The Rage of Dragons? This is how. The Fires of Vengeance is the exact opposite of a sophomore slump book.

The action in The Fires of Vengeance picks up right where book one left off, and from page one Evan Winter refuses to give his readers room to breathe. There was constant movement and action, and I felt both nervous and excited through the course of the entire book. I honestly think the last time a book had me so stressed was when I read Golden Son by Pierce Brown. This is a book to get your heart pounding for sure. Though Tau isn’t a strategist by any means, I enjoyed the warfare and the strategy employed in this book.

It amazed me how far Tau as a character has come from book one. In The Rage of Dragons I both loved and wanted to slap Tau as he made mistake after mistake. In true revenge plot style, Tau turned into an absolute badass and I find that I adore both versions of him equally.

The side characters from book one are just as prevalent in book two, so those who loved Jabari, Themba, Hadith, Kellan, and the others from Scale Jayyed will be pleased to see them. There are also some new additions to the cast and I enjoyed getting to know them. I never thought I would say it, but Themba and a new duo of handmaidens provided some much needed comedic relief and I definitely found myself laughing out loud more than once.

I’ve been recommending The Rage of Dragons to fans of The Poppy War and Red Rising because of the revenge plot, brutality, and war aspects and I will continue to do so after reading the sequel. This year The Rage of Dragons was named one of the top fantasy books of all time by Time and I find myself agreeing. This series will absolutely be cracking my top ten, and may move into my top five depending on how book three turns out.

A brilliant continuation combining Evan Winter’s excellent prose, characterization, world building, and edge of your seat action.

Thank you so much to Orbit Books for giving me this eArc. Receiving this advanced copy did not affect my review in any way.

This was my most anticipated read of 2020. Book 1, The Rage of Dragons (review here) was my favorite book of 2019 so being able to get an early copy was like a dream come true. I really enjoyed this book.

The first thing I want to focus on is our main POV character Tau. Tau was my favorite part of the first book. His relentless determination, single minded focus on revenge, and incredible drive made him very compelling. For all that Tau was very compelling in the first book, he also felt somewhat one dimensional at times because how extreme his focus was. I don’t mean this as a criticism of The Rage of Dragons. It made complete sense that Tau would be who he was in the first book. His wounds were fresh and he was a very broken, hurting character. In The Fires of Vengeance we get more nuanced character development from Tau. He is still very driven, but he developes other motivations throughout this book that make him even more interesting to follow. He even begins to heal a little bit throughout the narrative as he grows close to those around him and begins to believe in something greater than himself and his own revenge.

It was great getting to know the side characters more in this one as well. Queen Tsiora was a huge highlight as we get to see the weight of the crown on her head, while also getting to see the real personality behind the monarch’s mask that she is forced to wear. Hadith, Uduak, Themba, and Yaw are great as usual. Watching this band of brothers struggle together, grow along side and support each other was another one of the highlights of this novel. Each has their own distinct personality that adds value to the story and their loyalty and love for one another is moving.

I think the last series that I read that had me this emotionally invested was The Faithful and the Fallen by John Gwynne. In The Fires of Vengeance, there was not a single moment I wasn’t engaged in the story. The prose creates a raw, visceral feel to the narrative that can’t help but suck you in and make the reader feel as if the characters you are following are family. You feel their pain as they go through loss. You feel their rage as they face injustice, death, and betrayal. You feel their joy as they band together and find moments of intimacy and love in the face of all that opposes them. You can tell that Evan Winter poured his heart into this story and its characters and in my opinion, that is a huge part of what makes him a great writer.

Tau and his friends’ continue their fight against the Nobles who have kept the Lessers and Drudges down, deeming them less than and unworthy of even basic human rights. There are new players vying for power and new circumstances to navigate. The stakes are heightened by the never ending hedeni threat, looming portents of the Cull, traitors multiplying among the Omehi, and a war coming that could cause the extinction of the Omehi race. If The Rage of Dragons was a fast paced thrill ride all the way, The Fires of Vengeance is a methodical, tension filled build up to a cliffhanger of a climax. The curse of reading this early is that I will now have even longer to wait for the next installment. I need to know what will happen!

This story is epic in every sense of the word. The world expands organically as our protagonists are forced to find new and creative ways to defeat their enemies. I loved learning more about the Cull, the history of the Omehi people, and the realm of Isihogo. Every snippet, every single piece of information that was given had me more intrigued and invested in the story as I went along.

I love this magic system. More and more I have been recognizing the value of a magic system with costs, realistic progression, and high consequences for failure. This one has it all. The magic is used in unique ways which brought even more uncertainty and tension to the plot. And of course, there are dragons. Enough said.

This was a fantastic continuation of the tale of the Omehi people and their struggle for justice and survival. I cannot wait until book 3 comes out so I can see where this story will go next! You can preorder The Fires of Vengeance now! Release date is November 10th!

Rating: 9/10

A brilliant continuation combining Evan Winter’s excellent prose, characterization, world building, and edge of your seat action.

Thank you so much to Orbit Books for giving me this eArc. Receiving this advanced copy did not affect my review in any way.

This was my most anticipated read of 2020. Book 1, The Rage of Dragons (review here) was my favorite book of 2019 so being able to get an early copy was like a dream come true. I really enjoyed this book.

“Keep fighting, and I swear that before it consumes us, we’ll burn our pain to ash in the fires of vengeance.”

The first thing I want to focus on is our main POV character Tau. Tau was my favorite part of the first book. His relentless determination, single minded focus on revenge, and incredible drive made him very compelling. For all that Tau was very compelling in the first book, he also felt somewhat one dimensional at times because how extreme his focus was. I don’t mean this as a criticism of The Rage of Dragons. It made complete sense that Tau would be who he was in the first book. His wounds were fresh and he was a very broken, hurting character. In The Fires of Vengeance we get more nuanced character development from Tau. He is still very driven, but he developes other motivations throughout this book that make him even more interesting to follow. He even begins to heal a little bit throughout the narrative as he grows close to those around him and begins to believe in something greater than himself and his own revenge.

“This is the choice you need me to make?” Tau asked, choking up. “A choice between woe and wrath?”

It was great getting to know the side characters more in this one as well. Queen Tsiora was a huge highlight as we get to see the weight of the crown on her head, while also getting to see the real personality behind the monarch’s mask that she is forced to wear. Hadith, Uduak, Themba, and Yaw are great as usual. Watching this band of brothers struggle together, grow along side and support each other was another one of the highlights of this novel. Each has their own distinct personality that adds value to the story and their loyalty and love for one another is moving.

I think the last series that I read that had me this emotionally invested was The Faithful and the Fallen by John Gwynne. In The Fires of Vengeance, there was not a single moment I wasn’t engaged in the story. The prose creates a raw, visceral feel to the narrative that can’t help but suck you in and make the reader feel as if the characters you are following are family. You feel their pain as they go through loss. You feel their rage as they face injustice, death, and betrayal. You feel their joy as they band together and find moments of intimacy and love in the face of all that opposes them. You can tell that Evan Winter poured his heart into this story and its characters and in my opinion, that is a huge part of what makes him a great writer.

“I can smile and talk as sweet as cane sugar. I can follow every rule you’ll ever make, and it will never be good enough for people like you, because people like you don’t see me as people.”

Tau and his friends’ continue their fight against the Nobles who have kept the Lessers and Drudges down, deeming them less than and unworthy of even basic human rights. There are new players vying for power and new circumstances to navigate. The stakes are heightened by the never ending hedeni threat, looming portents of the Cull, traitors multiplying among the Omehi, and a war coming that could cause the extinction of the Omehi race. If The Rage of Dragons was a fast paced thrill ride all the way, The Fires of Vengeance is a methodical, tension filled build up to a cliffhanger of a climax. The curse of reading this early is that I will now have even longer to wait for the next installment. I need to know what will happen!

“The powerful, in Tau’s experience, kept seeing the loss of their desires as being world ending without ever once stopping to realize that for people like him, every day held that potential already.”

This story is epic in every sense of the word. The world expands organically as our protagonists are forced to find new and creative ways to defeat their enemies. I loved learning more about the Cull, the history of the Omehi people, and the realm of Isihogo. Every snippet, every single piece of information that was given had me more intrigued and invested in the story as I went along.

I love this magic system. More and more I have been recognizing the value of a magic system with costs, realistic progression, and high consequences for failure. This one has it all. The magic is used in unique ways which brought even more uncertainty and tension to the plot. And of course, there are dragons. Enough said.

This was a fantastic continuation of the tale of the Omehi people and their struggle for justice and survival. I cannot wait until book 3 comes out so I can see where this story will go next! You can preorder The Fires of Vengeance at the links below the cover. Release date is November 10th!

*Quotes were from an advanced reading copy and therefore might not be in the final product*

This sequel does not disappoint! Winters took everything I loved about The Rage of Dragons and expanded so beautifully on them (the unique culture and magic system, the fantastic and intense fights, the wonderful friendships).

Not only do we get so many great world-building moments, but all of the stakes are raised as Tau and his sword brothers are out of training. My heart was racing many times while reading! This book also contains one of the best romances I've read in fantasy. The characters actually get to know each other and we see a real relationship develop.

If you enjoy fantasy, you will love this book. It was phenomenal.