Review: Engrossing
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 11 12, 2013
Imagine selecting the person who will be your future spouse and co-parent based on the impression you form of them during short, chaperoned meetings. Now imagine making this decision over the course of a few days.Fayra's plucky personality instantly endeared me to her. Her reactions to her experiences fleshed out her personality for me in unexpected ways. No sooner would I think I had her figured out than a new challenge would reveal both her intelligence and her impulsivity. I didn't always agree with the decisions she made, but thanks to the author's inclusion of subtle hints about the type of person Fayra is I nearly always understood why she thought those were the best choices for her.I would have preferred to see more time spent developing Fayra's relationship with the person she chooses as her mate. While I completely understand why she found him sexually attractive, it wasn't clear to me why she thought he was her best option for a long term relationship based on the albeit limited information provided about his life.The plot starts off a little slow due to a somewhat complicated backstory that needs to be explained first, but all of this world-building is necessary in order to understand how Fayra comes to find herself in such a unique situation. By the climax I completely understood why the author chose to give such detailed explanations of certain events so early on in the story. The histories of the two races adds richness to the plot and makes me wish this book was the beginning of a series.Bride of Fire is an engrossing adventure. I'd recommend it to fans of science fiction and romance alike as both genres are well-represented in this tale.Originally posted at Long and Short Reviews