*This book was provided as a physical galley as a prize for a YALLSTAYHOME/Epic Reads giveaway.
Goodreads Synopsis:
Ash is descended from a long line of gladiators, and she knows the brutal nature of war firsthand. But after her mother dies in an arena, she vows to avenge her by overthrowing her fire god, whose temper has stripped her country of its resources.
Madoc grew up fighting on the streets to pay his family’s taxes. But he hides a dangerous secret: he doesn’t have the earth god’s powers like his opponents. His elemental gift is something else—something that hasn’t been seen in centuries.
When an attempted revenge plot goes dangerously wrong, Ash inadvertently throws the fire and earth gods into a conflict that can only be settled by deadly, lavish gladiator games. The fights put Madoc in Ash’s path, and she realizes that his powers are the weapon her rebellion needs—but Madoc won’t jeopardize his family, regardless of how intrigued he is by the beautiful warrior.
But when the gods force Madoc’s hand, he and Ash uncover an ancient war that will threaten more than one immortal—it will unravel the world.
My Review:
I didn’t really know how to feel about this book before reading it. I liked one of Sara Raasch’s other books, Snow Like Ashes, but couldn’t get into the sequel, and I’ve never read anything by Kristen Simmons (besides this), so I was really curious. Overall, I really liked this! There was a lot of mildly confusing worldbuilding and I didn’t love this book, but I did enjoy reading it. I thought Ash and Madoc were both strong, likable characters, and I also loved supporting characters like Tor and Elias. Everything seemed well done, it just took me a while to read because I wasn’t super motivated, which makes me resent it a little. Again, it’s worth the read, though.
I’d recommend this book to people who like magic and gladiators. I wasn’t sure what I would think of the gladiators, but I actually really liked it. It has some really great magic and method that I thought was well-developed. I really don’t know if I’ll be reading the sequel, but I would still recommend this one to people.
Overall, I would give this book…
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.
The Fiction Feature 