Heart on Fire

Starred review from November 13, 2017
Bouchet’s relentlessly intense conclusion to her Kingmaker Chronicles trilogy (after A Breath of Fire) goes unabashedly big with a plot involving the fate of the world of Thalyria and the direct involvement of the Greek pantheon, but its best moments deal with one-on-one conflict. Fans will swoon for the escalation of mutual devotion between Catalia—a powerful Magoi of the bloodline of Titans and Olympians, central to “a Power Bid that could reunite the realms,” and now also “the personification and spirit of hope”—and “domineering... overprotective... and deliciously jealous” warlord Griffin. Their romance justifies the divine orchestration of their match and amplifies their possessiveness-fueled sexual heat. Family is a primary theme: Griffin’s army’s importance wanes as Cat’s sadistic mother rises as a formidable enemy, using mind control and psychological torture as her most powerful tools, and Griffin’s protectiveness surges as Cat’s pregnancy with “Little Bean,” their already-powerful daughter, increases the risk of personal loss. A notable lack of practical governing detail may frustrate fans of fantasy politics, but Bouchet’s series ends strongly with a hopeful vision of leadership balanced with divinity and humanity.

November 1, 2017
Cat and Griffin continue their divinely orchestrated odyssey to unite the three realms of Thalyria through tragic losses and dangerous obstacles.Having pledged her heart, body, and soul, as well as every magical and material weapon at her disposal, to her husband, Griffin, Cat is pleased with their progress in overthrowing the violent, capricious, and self-interested governance of the magic class in the three regions of Thalyria. "He took Sinta with an army....Then we took over Tarva together, with our own blood, sweat, and agony." Now they are turning their sights on Fisa, Cat's own homeland, ruled by her vicious, power-hungry mother. Griffin and Cat lost a cherished ally in their battle for Tarva, and they'll lose two more before they can march on Fisa, sending Cat into a tailspin of emotions that lands her in Tartarus, the misty valley that houses doomed souls like Prometheus and Tantalus. Cat has a lot to live for: she's carrying her first child, she loves her husband and her new family, she's the embodiment of hope for the people of Thalyria. But first she must save herself from the harrowing prison ostensibly designed to last forever, and in order to do that, she has to embrace her magic and step into the full glory of who she is, learning to forgive herself and to believe she is worthy of everything good she has wrought. Then she must confront her mother with all the magic, strength, self-possession, and compassion she has learned along the way and step fully into her destiny as the queen of a united Thalyria, with King Griffin by her side.Bouchet's stunning Kingmaker Chronicles trilogy ends the way it began, with creativity, brilliance, and a breathtaking balance of heart-pounding adventure and heart-wrenching emotion.

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Starred review from November 15, 2017
Fans of Bouchet's Kingmaker Chronicles will welcome the stunning conclusion to the trilogy. Expanding on the world built in A Promise of Fire (2016) and Breath of Fire (2017), this entry delivers breathtaking romance, riveting action, mythology, and high-stakes political games. Cat and Griffin embark on the seemingly impossible task of uniting the realm, with the final battle looming ahead between Cat and her psychotic mother, Alpha Fisa. The journey to unification shapes the novel as a quest fantasy, but there is much more. Cat's fragile hold on her own role as Elipis, the Hope, is tested as she discovers that the gods have been in her life in roles of both influence and manipulation. As she wrestles with these realizations and their implications, she leans on her rock, Griffin, to help guide her on the long road ahead. Griffin and Cat's love eclipses the doubts that arise as they face combat, loss, new magical creatures, and more. Cat has come a far way from her days hiding in the circus as a soothsayer to become a powerful, kick-ass woman, and Bouchet continues to not only set the bar for fantasy romance but to crash over it.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)