One of Entertainment Weekly’s 27 Female Authors Who Rule Sci-Fi and Fantasy Right Now and the riveting conclusion to the Kingmaker Chronicles!GODS. I’M AN IDIOT.Without Griffin—and apparently a few meddling Gods—to push me along, I’d still be telling fortunes at the circus, lying about my past, ignoring my future, and living as far away from my tyrant mother as humanly possible.True understanding … from my tyrant mother as humanly possible.
True understanding thuds into place. Hope isn’t just an abstract concept; it’s me. Flesh and blood me. Griffin knew it all along. Probably everyone did. I’m an idea in human form.
I have the power of the Gods at my fingertips.
The only thing ever stopping me has been me.
The Kingmaker Chronicles:
A Promise of Fire (Book 1)
Breath of Fire (Book 2)
Heart on Fire (Book 3)
Praise for the Kingmaker Chronicles:
A NPR Best Book of 2016
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2016
A Washington Post Best Romance of the Month
A Bustle Best Romance of 2016
Readers are raving about the Kingmaker Chronicles
“A heart-pounding and joyous romantic adventure. Amanda Bouchet’s talent is striking.”—NALINI SINGH, New York Times bestselling author
“Give this to your Game of Thrones fans.”—Booklist STARRED Review
“Utterly breathtaking!”—DARYNDA JONES, New York Times bestselling author
“Bouchet sets the bar for high-concept fantasy romance. Simply brilliant.”—Kirkus STARRED Review
“Loved it!”—ELOISA JAMES, New York Times bestselling author
“Absolutely fabulous.”—C.L. WILSON, New York Times bestselling author of The Winter King
“Easily my favorite book of 2016!”—Bookriot
“Top-notch. A fantasy romance that will blow your chest plate off.”—Adrian Lang, Amazon.com’s Omnivoracious
“I think you all should just go read it now.”—Smexy Books
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This series is just a ton of fun. It’s filled with so many of my favorite fantasy tropes (Sassy lady protagonist! Destiny! Interference from the gods! Magic! Rugged band of friends fighting side by side!), and centers on Cat, a reluctant Chosen One trying to run from her destiny and protect the people she loves. Start with A Promise of Fire!
I was anticipating reading the boss battle that was inevitable from the first book, which was always a concern because the boss is the heroine’s mother. The way that battle went down was wonderfully unpredictable. The outcome, better than my expectations.
Sharing a little bitty spoiler about a certain portion of the book that made me know for sure that Cat and Griffin get a happy ever after is tempting, but I just can’t do it. The point is, Bouchet didn’t tell me they will be happy together forever, I believe they will. Their bond has been thoroughly tested.
My emotional investment was 100% tripled, which is so hard to achieve. I’m kind of a tough critic. I read a lot of books that never get reviewed here because I only want to highlight the best books I read. Like this entire series.
If you’re into action, romance, Greek gods, and fantasy, I highly recommend this series.
And more good news, I hear there will be a spin-off novella featuring the Beta-team. I cannot wait. Thinking about it steals my breath.
Heart On Fire gets five/five glowing stars.
Not going to lie, I’m a tad bit bummed that I didn’t love this one quite as much as I loved the first two books. I mean, first thing, it desperately needed an epilogue. It needed just a tad bit more to fully round out the trilogy. Don’t get me wrong, the story is complete and this is the end of Griffin and Cat’s story, but it would have been nice to flash forward just a bit to see things fully settled. And on that note, there are some loose ends with the secondary characters. This series has such a great cast, and I feel like they got sidelined a bit in this one for the sake of Griffin and Cat’s story. And don’t get me wrong, it’s their book, but there are some questions I wish had got answered. Especially certain romantic teases! Also, I just love the secondary characters and I missed them terribly. I feel like there is a good amount of stuff with them that got cut for some reason. Unless they are getting spin offs? But either way, I think some of the questions with them presented should have gotten answers. But with all of that said, I still really enjoyed this book and I just adore Griffin and Cat. Griffin is a charmer and Cat is fun and their chemistry is still great. I still love their romance and I still love this world and the Greek mythology. I’m still very attached to Griffin and Cat and I love them both. All in all, I had high expectations for this conclusion and even if it didn’t deliver everything I hoped it was still a good book and I still love these characters and I can hope that there is more to come!
The books are set in a land called Thalyria. It seems to be based largely on Ancient Greece, with Greek language, Greek Gods (who are real in this world), etc. Half the world is ice and half is desert, or so it seems. Magic is stronger in the regions with ice, and weaker in the regions without. Magic is might in this world…
Our two primary characters are Cat and Griffin. Cat is hiding from her evil family, and has made a home with the circus. She is kidnapped by Griffin, who is a warlord who has recently taken control of one of the three Kingdoms in Thalyria. He wants Cat because she has the magic his family lacks.
Cat takes a long time to warm up to Griffin and his team, but I felt that was understandable considering that he literally kidnapped her, put her in danger and made her leave the only people she loved. Yup, fair enough. They are good guys though, and she can’t help but warm to them. Sometimes she resents liking them, which feels like it fits the situation pretty well! I’ve read other reviews that say Cat is a bit whiny, but frankly, I would be too if I was treated the way she was!
I never felt like the story dragged, even after reading all three books in the trilogy. It’s an epic adventure and story, and so it feels okay that it takes three books to tell it.
There is an enormous amount of world building that has gone on behind the scenes, and the creatures (some are mythical creatures I’ve heard of, some aren’t), the gods, the secondary human characters, etc., are all well described and feel like integral parts of the story. You get enough scenery to picture the scene, but not so much that you feel the need to skip pages of description.
There is plenty of action, and if you’re squeamish, it might squick you out a bit. Even the healing scenes can be pretty gory or squicky in their own right.
The general plot of the story is obvious, but the story doesn’t feel predictable. So many things happen that I don’t expect, and things don’t go how I thought they were going to, and it all adds up to keep me interested and keep me turning the page.
The romance between Cat and Griffin is secondary to what is an epic fantasy adventure story. But it’s there.
The secondary characters are fantastic additions to the story, and Kato is a clear favourite. I’m not sure if that’s because he’s Cat’s favourite or mine. Ha ha!
All in all, it’s a fascinating read, and I rated all three books in the trilogy a solid five stars. I recommend them to anyone who enjoys fantasy or epic adventure stories.
Catalia Fisa has much to accomplish in this adrenaline charged, emotionally rich and sometimes heart-rending, roller coaster conclusion to The Kingmaker Chronicles, HEART ON FIRE. Cat faces fierce battles, not all of which are physical, a challenging quest, and finds herself thrown into one particularly dark and difficult ordeal. Together, Cat and Griffin are forging a new world between the three previously separate and often warring provinces of Tarva, Sinta, and Fisa. Cat’s greatest struggles result not only from her seriously evil and vicious mother’s actions, but her own fears and lack of confidence. Cat desperately needs to figure how to use her frustratingly erratic God-given powers which will enable her to be triumphant. Her path to victory comes with many hard choices. In Cat’s realm, doing what is right and honorable is rarely easy and often dangerous. She has the perfect man at her side in Griffin whose love and confidence helps Cat become everything she is meant to be. With his unconditional love and unwavering support, Griffin shows Cat no matter where the journey takes her, he will be right by her side. Her own worries and self-doubt are perhaps the truest enemy if not the most tangible one. Cat sees herself as too damaged to be the queen she is meant to be. Griffin’s love and support empowers Cat to overcome self-loathing and crippling uncertainty giving her the strength to take wing and fly.
By embracing her true purpose instead of fleeing it, Cat becomes the embodiment of “Elpis” which means hope; her destiny is to unite Thalyria. She wants people to see life can be good when lived with joy and peace rather than brutality, neglect, and the abuse they have known. Cat must convince herself though as well that the Gods are on her side. However, the Gods are often far from benevolent, Cat finds their interactions less than helpful and frequently maddening. The capricious meddling Gods have quite a few surprises, not all of them pleasant, in their master plan for her and Griffin. Cat’s family, those who are blood and ones she claims as such, also figure greatly into this epic tale. The harder Cat fights, the more her mother, Andromeda, unleashes her immense abilities as Cat’s most powerful and painful enemy. Soon to become a mother herself, Cat has even more reason to fight with every fiber of her being to establish a new world order.
Cat embodies my favorite kind of fantasy heroine. I love the combination of her courage, strength, stubbornness, and self-sacrificing loyalty thrown together with a little bit of crazy, but laced with humor to lighten a very heavy load. Cat never gives up or loses hope though she may falter in the darkest places. I thoroughly enjoyed this exceedingly well done book. Truthfully, there are some very painful places further demonstrating Amanda Bouchet’s skills as a writer who can elicit all variety of emotions from readers taking them on a journey to places of deep joy interwoven with heartbreaking agony, and other equally intense feelings along the way. The world and characters Amanda Bouchet has created hit all the right marks of action, adventure, and romance. It is such a pleasure to read a very satisfying and well-wrought end to this most enjoyable trilogy. I am left thinking about the characters long after the story has ended and longing for more. I can think of no higher compliment.
4.5 stars
Heart on Fire was a great conclusion to the Kingmaker Chronicles. There was so much going on, and the author had me on an emotional-rollercoaster throughout the book. It was very unpredictable and had a couple of plot twists. What I really enjoyed was the mythology and all the mythical creatures that made an appearance in this series. It is clear that the author Amanda Bouchet has an incredible creative mind, and I applaud her for the world she has created for this series. I was fully connected to all the main characters. I was a part of the team and felt every emotion they did. There were times I couldn’t contain my tears and other times I was pumped up for a fight.
“You’re the best man I know, and the only man I want. You’re a torch, not the dark. I look at you, and all I see is fire and light.”
In this book Cat has to confront her evil mother once and for all. It won’t be an easy fight, because she is so powerful. I loved how supportive and protective Griffin and the Beta Team were. Griffin is definitely one of my all time favorite book boyfriends. He was an alpha but wasn’t afraid to let Cat fight her own fights. There were a couple of heartbreaking scenes, but also many uplifting ones. The writing, storytelling and character development was amazing. The book wasn’t perfect in my opinion, because some scenes left me wanting more or didn’t have the punch I expected it to have. Especially the ending left me unsatisfied and I still have a couple of unanswered questions, so I need a spin-off focusing on the members of the Beta team. I am not ready to say goodbye to these incredible characters!
Heart on Fire concludes the Kingmaker Chronicles series by Amanda Bouchet
I was hooked on the Kingmaker Chronicles series from the moment I read the first page of A Promise of Fire and each additional book has been a delight. I’m sad to see it end and I’d love to see a spin-off, because their are so many wonderful characters that have potential to do their own stories.
Heart on Fire starts right where Breath of Fire ends. So their is no time wasted in getting us back into the story and the coming war to deiced the fate of the lands. We are taking on an adventure, full of heart-break, enlightenment, and hope.
The book opens us to a very heart-breaking moment of betrayal that changes the lives of the Sinta family. For Griffin family is everything and to have one of your own betray you. Well, that leaves an everlasting impress on everyone. Cat has grown as a character and in Heart on Fire she has several realizes and enlightened moments, where she realizes her destiny, and that she is the personification of Hope for everyone.
Their is a lot more talking then action in this installment. It slowed things down a little for me. Everything has been leading up to Cat’s destiny. War is coming and not everyone will survive the war. I will say the ending battle happened with very little fanfare. I’m spoiled with the Andrews team and how they write their battle scenes, so I was a bit let down with how the whole ending battle turned out. It wasn’t written bad. It just didn’t have all the action-packed battle I was hoping for. Thou we do get some action battle scenes earlier in the book.
I have loved the friendships made with all the secondary characters we meet. I’m hoping we get spin-offs for several of the secondary characters. Their are so many wonderful possibilities and story threads to explore with all of them. Some things where left open on the secondary characters, so it gives me hope we might be returning to the Kingmaker world.
Heart on Fire is packed full of adventure going from one situation to another with no chance of letting go. I couldn’t stop reading and just kept turning the pages to see what would happen next.
To wrap it up, Heart on Fire, was a splendid read and a nice conclusion. I’m happy to see Cat and Griffen have a good ending. The whole series has been entertaining, the friendships and romance have been pleasurable, and the new world created by Bouchet is marvelous. All of this combined together gives us a fantastic new fantasy romance.
Rated: 4 Stars
** You do need to read the Kingmaker Chronicles in order.
This is the final in the Kingmaker fantasy series. Compared to the previous two I found this one a bit anticlimactic and some of the descriptions repeated too often (ie, “My stomach starts to lurch”, “I lose my breath”, etc.).
Cat, who is part human, part goddess, is destined to be the Origin, the Queen/ruler of Thalyria. She must defeat her evil mother and to do so must finally discover all of her powers and have faith in herself.
I liked seeing her come into her own, enjoyed the epic love story, and was surprised by some of the twists and turns. Overall a good fantasy series.
Title: Heart on Fire (Kingmaker Chronicles #3)
Author: Amanda Bouchet
Publisher: Piatkus
Edition: Kinde
Amount of Pages: 418
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, New Adult
Date Read: 07-08-2019
Favorite Quote: “I am caught. You caught me. Not the other way around. From the very first day. And from the very first day, I would have done anything for you—except let you go. I couldn’t. Not when deep down, I knew we were meant to be like this. To love like this.”
Review:
I was worried before reading this book because I’ve heard people talk about not liking the way this book ended. I was worried that this book would let me down. And for the most part it did not.
2/3 of this book was just as good as the rest was. Some parts where a bit dragged out yes but not as dragged out to ruin the story for me.
What I am a bit disappointing by is how quickly the big fight, the entire series build up to, ended. It wasn’t even much of a fight. I was expecting a big, huge battle but we didn’t get that.
I also feel like allot of things where left unresolved, especially considering the supportive characters. I think a good epilogue would have solved allot of the issues I had with this book.
I wanted to know what the gods meant regarding some of the characters, what would happen next with Cat’s sister, if Griffin’s sister would get the happy ending she wanted. Like so much that I felt where set up in this book but not finished at the end.
If this book had an good epilogue I would easily have given this 4, 4 1/2 stars.
Overall I did enjoy this book and this series all together. The writing style was good and I really liked the characters. The world building and character development was great.
I would read more of this author in the future and I hope she might give us some spin off novels about some of the characters.
Rating:
3 I enjoyed it Stars
By the time I got to this book, I think the dynamic relationship of Cat and Griffin sort of diminished compared to how I read them from book 1. The interest for me has also gone down while reading this book. It was just ok. The first book was my favorite.
Book 3 of the Kingmaker series started out fairly well with Cat and team dealing with the realm changed. Magical and sword battles ensue with enough detail to leave the reader satisfied with the action. Unfortunately, there were a few scenes that I believe were meant to explain a few things but left me scratching my head. I was expecting more of a bang with this book but received mediocre instead.
I can’t believe I’m going to say this but I kinda hated this book. This was one of my most anticipated January releases and after the first two books I was really looking forward to reading it so I was the most disappointed when I finished it. It was quite a letdown if you ask me.
But let’s start at the beginning. I was expecting an explosive and action packed final book for this series. I mean they are going to war, finally after two book of heading into that direction. So you can imagine my disappointment when in the whole series there was the less action in this one. The plot pretty much consisted of a few fight scenes and a lot of annoying self-searching, inner musing and lovey-dovey scenes between Cat and Griffin. I was bored, especially since they were circling the same issue over and over again; I even skimmed a couple of pages here and there and when I do that it means there are serious problems. There were also a couple of scenes that I just didn’t understand, for example the one where she is being punished by Zeus, what was that??
Yeah, so I still head over heel for the world building. I love how the author built a whole new world while at the same time focusing it around Greek mythology. It’s just so good and in this book we get to see even more of these mythological elements and gods. That’s the best part of this book and one of the two things that I actually like.
The other thing I liked was Bellanca character. She was phenomenal, feisty and funny. Go girl! She kind of took over Cat place for me in this story because I just couldn’t stand Cat here. I loved her in the first two books because she was, powerful, savage, feisty, and sarcastic but still had a vulnerable side. But she was determined and fearless and only stumbled when absolutely necessary. In this book she completely brook down. She became someone who constantly doubted herself and her powers, someone who completely freeze every time it came to taking action and instead of practicing to control her powers she whined to the gods to show her how to handle them. I can imagine the author tried to create maybe more depth to her with handling her emotional issues but in my opinion it didn’t work well. She dragged the story down for me.
I probably could rant about my opinion for a while but I decided to stop here. For me after the built up in the first two book Heart of fire was a pretty anticlimactic ending and I was even more disappointed in the lack of epilogue.
I really enjoyed this series, but Heart of Fire is probably my least favorite out of the three books. I was expecting to see some powerful scenes involving the Beta Team, but the majority of the book was about Cat’s insecurities. Then add all the declarations of love by Griffin… to the point where it just didn’t seem fitting.
I was more excited to read about the other characters: Carver, Bellanca, and Ianthe. Hopefully they all get their own books soon!
Although I think this book didn’t tie everything nicely, the overall series is solid. Amanda Bouchet does a wonderful job creating a world full of heroes and monsters.
What a great ending to Cat and Griffin’s story. I’ve loved everything leading up to and including this book. This is fantasy at its finest and Ms. Bouchet has set the bar high for other aspiring writers as well as those already established in the genre.
Once more filled with Gods and magic, creatures of the Gods and internal battles along with violent physical battles, Heart on Fire is action packed. I have struggled with Cat’s repeatedly not getting her magic right until she or those around her were almost dead, but I never realized that this was the true test. I appreciated the way this author brought us to this end.
The romance once more takes a back seat and yet the love Cat and Griffin have for each other and their family is the very core of the story. Cat is tested again and again throughout this series, but it is here that she faces her final life changing challenge.
There are no words to express the way this story spreads itself out and then wraps you up within itself. Absolutely loved it!
This is an honest review of an advanced copy provided by NetGalley and Sourcebooks.