Book Review: A Promise of Fire (Kingmaker Chronicles #1) by Amanda Bouchet

Rating: ☆☆☆
Audience: Fantasy Romance
Length: 448 pages
Author: Amanda Bouchet
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Release Date: August 2nd, 2016
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

KINGDOMS WILL RISE AND FALL FOR HER…

“Cat” Catalia Fisa lives disguised as a soothsayer in a traveling circus. She is perfectly content avoiding the danger and destiny the Gods—and her homicidal mother—have saddled her with. That is, until Griffin, an ambitious warlord from the magic-deprived south, fixes her with his steely gaze and upsets her illusion of safety forever.

BUT NOT IF SHE CAN HELP IT

Griffin knows Cat is the Kingmaker, the woman who divines the truth through lies. He wants her as a powerful weapon for his newly conquered realm—until he realizes he wants her for much more than her magic. Cat fights him at every turn, but Griffin’s fairness, loyalty, and smoldering advances make him increasingly hard to resist and leave her wondering if life really does have to be short, and lived alone.

NOT SUBTLE.

That’s the biggest takeaway I got from this. And I am also realizing, I like things a lot more subtle.

Everything started off really well. I love the setting and environment. The mix of Greek gods and mythology is always fascinating to me and it’s no different here. I would have loved some more world-building because I occasionally got lost in the hierarchies of different realms.

I looooved this audio book narration though. Great changes between characters and I really fell into the sweeping way the narrator told the story.

The romance between Griffin and Cat was in your face from the beginning. I was hoping for a bit more will they/won’t they, but alas that was not the case. Within my personal tastes it was also verrrrry steamy and I found myself skipping sections to get back to the story. And I didn’t love Griffin by the end either. His intensity and what I felt was a lack of willingness to even hear Cat’s side of the story really rubbed me the wrong way. He was insistent about HIS wants and desires and I felt Cat getting neglected.

I don’t plan on picking up the next one. This was a difference in preferences for me so don’t let my review hold you back. It was great writing and the story is woven in there.

Overall audience notes:

• Fantasy romance
• Language: none
• Romance: everything from kisses to multiple very open door/descriptive scenes
• Violence: murder, battles/skirmishes, physical altercations, magical attacks, creature attacks
• Trigger warnings: abusive parents

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