I was thoroughly charmed by A River Enchanted, which was released early in 2022. And while it ended at a good place—with the main mystery and conflict solved, and resolutions offered for the emotional arcs—it was still open-ended, which left plenty of avenues the story could take. So, I was very excited to get an ARC of A Fire Endless, the final book in the Elements of Cadence duology. And I have to admit, it was so much fun being back in this world with Jack, Adaira (Cora), Sidra, Torin, and a host of other characters.

This duology has always had a slower pace, but the world was filled with detail. It was the kind of story that I wanted to linger with a little longer, to make sure I didn’t miss anything.

The island of Cadence was still swimming in magic and conflict—both between the limitations imposed by the clan line, the inter-clan relations, as well as trouble with the spirits. Cadence was out of balance, which was a reoccurring theme that finally got its due page time.

With the big reveal at the end of A River Enchanted—with Adaira’s true parentage and departure from the east—as well as events early in A Fire Endless, the main cast was scattered. They had such a good dynamic that I was sad to see it happen, but it also demonstrated the emotional toll left by the wake of what had already happened and what was presently occurring. The stakes were high in this race against time, and their individual ends of the story were still connected by the continued conflict. And with the latest threat—a strange blight with no treatment, sickening the land and people both—it was work together or fall, because something had to change (the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back had arrived).

I was impressed by the way Ross handled all the plot points. It was a complicated story, but all of it came together at the end. So, A Fire Endless was an exciting read and a satisfying conclusion to this duology.

Disclaimer: this copy of the book was provided by the publisher (Harper Voyager) via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!

Rebecca Ross did an incredible job with this! I felt the characters emotions so viscerally. Also the way the spice was written was my favorite.

A Fire Endless is a compelling conclusion to the Elements of Cadence duology. I was already impressed with her fairy tale-esque style and the world inspired by medieval Scotland, and I really like how she builds on that here. It’s just as mystical and atmospheric, and I love how she was able to sweep me away.

Things are developed quite a bit more, with stakes raised plot wise. But ultimately, I love that there’s a lot of emphasis on healing, and doing so together, in the midst of all the struggles they face.

And we largely continue to follow the same characters, and while there are a few different POVs once again, there are a few that stand out, like Jack and Adaira once again, plus Torin and Sidra. Things develop on a romantic front as well, and while it does get a tad steamier than the first book, it’s only subtly so.

This is a solid sequel and conclusion to the duology, and I hope Rebecca Ross continues to write stories in this vein. If you enjoyed the first book, you’ll definitely like this one. And if you enjoy folklore and fairytale inspired fantasy, I recommend checking this duology out!

I enjoyed this duology a lot. Jack and Adira doing everything they can to save their island, their home, and their families and people. I was never bored with the magic system and enjoyed that the POV shifted around so you got the full scope of what was happening all over this island. It felt like it drug a little at times, but I also don't know what I would cut down on, It was all pretty needed for the story to have a complete picture.

I absolutely adore these characters and this story. After the first book being an easy 5⭐️ read I knew I had to jump on ordering the second one. While it didn’t quite live up to the first, I still loved this book. The character development in this story was phenomenal. I loved watching each of the main characters become the very best of versions of themselves. They each went through their own struggle but overcame them so easily. If you’re new to the fantasy world I recommend this series. It’s easy on the world building and very easy to follow along.

This was an absolutely beautiful conclusion to this amazing duology! I loved getting back to the isle of Cadence with Adaira and Jack, and all the mystery, magic, struggles, and emotions of this story. I really dislike the separation trope, but it made the reunions all that much better 💕 the author’s writing is lyrical and beautiful, and sets a very atmospheric flow to the story that is just easy to get lost in. Sidra and Torin were just as interesting as our main couple, and I love that we also got to see more of the spirit world. There are strong themes of love, heritage, resilience, and community throughout. Overall this was a fantastic read and I highly recommend this duology!

What a beautiful and whimsical duology this was. I greatly enjoyed every page of this journey. I cannot wait to recommend this book to readers for years to come!

A Fire Endless is the perfect conclusion to the story began in A River Enchanted. This duology feels like just the book to read on a rainy or snowy afternoon with a cup of tea. It's warm and comforting, while also managing to be quite tense at times. I love the characters so much, not just Adaira and Jack, but also Torin and Sidra. I hope Rebecca Ross writes many more adult fantasy novels, since she has become an auto-buy author for me after this series. I wouldn't say no to another book set in the world of Cadence too.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for granting me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The second book in the Elements of Cadence series had me drawn in from the first page. It was easy to fall back into the world of Jack Tamerlaine. I know that Jack and Adaira are the couple I'm supposed to be focusing on but I really am obsessed with Sidra and Torin. This book really had me turning pages to see what happened next. I honestly cannot wait to see/read what happens next.

The sequel to A River Enchanted, this continues the main characters stories in their quest for love and life on a cursed island.

I enjoyed where this story went and the conclusion. There were a few moments that annoyed me with a miscommunication trope but it was a very small portion of the story so not a huge deal. The sex scenes are NOT fade to black if that bothers you.

Highly recommend this series

Thank you Netgalley and Harper Voyager for allowing me to read and review this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"Let our names be the sword in your hand. Let us be your shield and your armor. Fight for us tonight."

I may be a little biased because Rebecca Ross is one of my favorite authors but A Fire Endless is one of the most beautifully written sequels I've read in a long time.

A Fire Endless continues the ongoing fight between the Breccans and the Tamberlaines. A month has passed since the ending of the first book and there's a storm brewing on the horizon.

"If I am weak for wanting you, then let me embrace that weakness and make it my strength."

I think I highlighted over eighty percent of the book. The way Rebecca Ross weaves words is impeccable and awe-inspiring. One of my favorite things about the way Ross writes is how she literally holds your heart in the palm of her hands and makes you care immensely for her characters.

A Fire Endless made me feel so many different emotions: anticipation, anxiety, grief, and compassion.

".... if I were to go on living as I had been in the east without you, I would soon be worn down to nothing but dust."

I loved the world-building of the west and reading about the Breccans customs. The development between Adaira and her mother is so realistic and I loved how they, little by little, learned to trust the other.

I felt like A River Enchanted had a slower pace due to introductions and world-building but A Fire Endless kicked it up a notch. Each point of view had me on the edge of my seat. The pacing was so on point and I didn't want to stop reading. Not want, but a need to find out what was going to happen next to these characters.

We were introduced to a couple of new characters and I love Kaye and Ash. I know Ash doesn't have very many scenes but they were so impactful I wanted to read more about him. Kaye is such a great addition to the story and the development of the original characters. I could have read so much more about her as well.

"For once, she wasn't afraid to surrender those pieces of herself, to let them twine with Jack. She let them all go because he was her home, her shelter. Her endless fire, burning through the dark."

The Elements of Cadence duology is an intricate and gorgeously written tale of well-developed characters, fantastic world-building, and heart-rending scenes.

I'm in love with the world of Cadence and I hope Rebecca Ross will write another story, maybe featuring Kaye as a main character, in the future.

5 stars

A Fire Endless is a lovely conclusion to the beautiful Elements of Cadence duology. It was so nice returning to the magical story of Jack and Adaira as they navigate their separate but entwined paths. Rebecca Ross's writing style is captivating and atmospheric and does perfect justice to this enchanting tale.

Absolute perfection. I was a huge fan of River and Fire is an absolutely wonderful sequel to it. Each of the four main POV characters grows and changes as they face adversity, old histories get rewritten, dreamy magic is woven, and the world is changed in the end. While I continue to love my girl Sidra the most, I really enjoyed the addition of the western characters such as Innes and Niall.

Expanding the isle in this book really allowed for a wider variety of story and the novel benefits from it. There's also a stronger feeling of inevitable doom in this book than the first in my opinion, with even Torin remarking early on that something was ending. And let me tell you, without giving anything away, I was *unwell* when I thought a certain ending was coming but Ross deftly wrapped everything up in such a way that I felt totally satisfied in the end.

I can't say enough about this book or its predecessor. The Cadence duology is one of my favorite adult fantasies to come out over the past decade. The characters are complex and nuanced, the love stories run deep and satisfying, the world is lush and striking, the secondary characters are interesting, and the magic is so beautiful and mysterious. I cannot recommend it more highly to any fantasy reader out there and I can't wait to read Ross' next novel.

Note: I received a free electronic edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. (Although I did purchase a hardcover copy for myself afterward because I loved it so much!) I would like to thank them, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to do so.

Thank you Harper Voyager for the gifted copy of A Fire Endless

Lyrical, magical, powerful! I love how this was a perfect continuation to River, but had a very different tone allowing each book to feel distinctive.

This series is enchanting, atmospheric, and so unique. I love everything about these books from the characters and their amazing growth to the fantastic world building that is completely immersive. This island and its inhabitants come so alive off the page!

A River Enchanted was my favorite book last year (so good I read it twice) and A Fire Endless was the perfect book to end 2022 and begin 2023 with. I’m sad the series is over, but I also feel completely satisfied with how the story developed and completed and isn’t that the best?!

I greatly enjoyed this book; however, I am withholding my full review until the HarperCollins union strike is resolved.

If you find yourself easily overwhelmed by the fantasy genre (like I do, often) due to exhaustive world-building and intense action sequences, this may be the perfect read for you. A simplified magical system Even more romantic and magical than book one (A River Enchanted), A Fire Endless continues the stories of four main characters, that now make up two couples, on the island of Cadence, a divided land where humans and a faerie realm exist.
The conclusion was perfection and had me on the edge of my seat until the very end. It's cozy, full of emotion, and all around epic.

I’m a blubbering mess. The beauty of this duology lies within it’s softness, within the balance and symmetry of curses and blessings, wounds and salves, foes and friends. Rebecca Ross has spun an enchanting tale of an enchanted isle and the people of Cadence have carved a place in my heart. While the plot moved a bit slow, the journey to peace and harmony moved me all the same. A tender caress of a conclusion, my heart is full.

4.5⭐️

*sincerest thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for this eARC*

Thank you, NetGalley!
I was so excited about this book, and I think it is a great continuation of the series! This is one of my favorite duologies, and it did a fantastic job of finishing up the story. The growth of the romance and the characters is done extremely well and makes you love them all so much. I also thoroughly enjoyed the continuation of magic and atmosphere. The author does a great job of creating a beautiful and romantic vibe throughout the story.

“The other day… I was thinking about all the different paths our lives take, how little choices here and there suddenly guide us to places we never expected. How sometimes even the worst of experiences turn us into what we need to be, even though we would rather avoid the pain. But we grow stronger—we grow sharper—and before we truly even know it, we are looking back on it all. We see who we were and we see who we have become, and it is why the spirits watch us and marvel.”
➵ A Fire Endless by Rebecca Ross

The Elements of Cadence snuck up on me back in January and soon after became my first five star fantasy read of the year. The whole duology now sits amongst my favorite reads of all time because A Fire Endless did not disappoint in the slightest. It's actually my favorite book of the duology if I HAD TO pick one. I’m not sure if I’ll ever experience a book/ series like this again. It was gentle yet dark, empathetic and resilient; Elements of Cadence was truly a breath of fresh air for the fantasy genre.

What made A Fire Endless even better than A River Enchanted was Rebecca Ross's decision to place her lead characters in situations they're uncomfortable with. Sidra? Forced to take up the mantle of running the East. Torin? Forced to interact with the creatures and beings on the island before his loved ones. Adaira and Jack's separation from one another being the last big hoop for the leads. Just everything was perfect in my eyes. The prologue of A Fire Endless is now one of my favorite chapters of the duolgoy because of our new introduction to a special character.

The other reason A Fire Endless beats out A River Enchanted as my favorite between the two is the mere fact that Fire gives us the West. We've only seen it across the boundary line and from characters that have lived over there, but this sequel was all about the West. We did our time in the East in book one, and now its time to give the West its due. The difference of cultures within the East and West were fascinating. The whole reason this plot exists is because of the West, and unraveling that secret was so interesting—I couldn't put my book down!

Finally, the ending. Damn was it beautifully tearful. I never once expected that result in the climax, but I knew from that moment there was no way that would be the end to these characters' stories. It made everything a full circle moment with the change in power, and I just loved every minute of this book. Everyone of these characters holds my bookish heart in some way, and I feel so incredibly honored to have gotten to know them. I can't wait for Rebecca to write more adult fantasy.

Thank you to HarperVoyager and NetGalley for the eARC access. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

➸ 4.5 ⭐️

this conclusion was just perfect, i loved AFE more than ARE. this book was like a cozy blanket and a cup of hot cocoa on a winter night.
the writing is just as lyrical and enchanting as the fist book, the romance is even better. absolutely loved where RR took our characters - their journeys, their struggles, the conflict - and the way everything resolved.
A Fire Endless was heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time, gut wrenching and comforting.
reached the last page with tears in my eyes, i'll miss these characters.
i hope RR returns to Adult fantasy soon.

eternal gratitude to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc