Hello everyone!
I am back with another book review, today it is Fireblood by Elly Blake. Thanks so much to Hachette Book Group Canada for providing me with a copy of this book for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.
The story picks up where we left off in book one. I won't get into too many specifics in a recap/synopsis because this is the second book in the series and too many details would spoil book one. I will say that Ruby is back and as kick-butt as ever. Like in book one, she has a mission and will stop at nothing and for no one to complete it. We meet some new characters, one of whom is a Fireblood named Kai who helps Ruby on her latest mission. I think that is all I will say for specific plot points.
Ok, let's start off with the shining star of this series, Ruby. I loved her in the first book and I still love her in this one. She really is one of the ultimate fierce female leads. She is strong when she needs to be, but not afraid of her feelings. She doesn't let anybody tell her what to do, especially if that someone is a boy. Ruby isn't arrogant enough to refuse help from others but she isn't dependant on them either. I really think she is a remarkable character and a great role model.
Before I get too far into this review, I want to address a concern I had and that many of who probably have after reading the synopsis. And that is the introduction of the new male character, Kai. I was really, really, really worried for a minute there that Blake was going to shoot this series down with a love triangle. And there are definitely some hintings towards that in the book, maybe even some development. BUT, I will say that while reading it, I was a little unclear, it is quite clear who Ruby's affections lie with and who she wants to be with. The line gets a little blurry at times but I am fairly happy with how Blake handles the situation.
As with the first book, this one is filled with action scenes and great journeys, all of which Blake does a great job of describing. I love how Blake, at least in these two books, is able to show how far the character has come since the beginning of the novel, especially when she mirrors it with a physical journey. In both these books, Ruby leaves one place for another and in both instances, she is able to grow as a person. Blake does a really good job of writing these situations.
I also really loved how we see more of the origin myths of the Frostbloods and Firebloods. One of my issues with the first book was that I only really understood them on a basic, surface level, and I feel like Blake really stepped that aspect up in this book. We learn some of the mythology behind the different gods and how the different people came into being. I really appreciated that and feel like I would almost love to see a book about the gods themselves, maybe as a companion to the series.
Overall, I think that Fireblood is a real improvement from Frostblood and cannot wait for the third book to arrive!