Reviews for On Fire's Wings

The average rating for On Fire's Wings based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-10-16 00:00:00 Thanos Gatzios I have been checking out upcoming Luna books from the beginning, and when I originally read the blurb for this one, I decided it wasn't for me. I don't remember exactly why now, but it was a decision I was perfectly happy about. After the sequel, "In Stone's Clasp" came out, I pretty much ignored it, because of the original decision not to read the series. Then, more recently, I started hearing good things about the series. I asked around and had it recommended to me. So I looked at "On Fire's Wings" again and through maybe I would read it - if I could find an affordable copy. This is not easy in New Zealand, so the whole idea languished again for a while. Until I found a nice, cheap copy in an Amazon zShop and decided to take the chance. I'm glad I did, as I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Kevla is a good character, and her supporting cast are generally all solid and well rounded. The character development could have been a bit deeper and stronger, but their characters as written don't detract from the book. There just could have been a bit more. I had seen a warning on a message board just after I had started the novel, that there was a major taboo broken - incest - and that it was simply sad, rather than icky. I was far enough into the book to figure out the characters involved and trusting enough to keep reading and see for myself. That poster was right. There are forces at work beyond humanity here - things like fate and destiny and bonds through time - and they must see themselves through regardless of human beliefs. In this case, other characters decisions in earlier years leave only one way for destiny to take. It is indeed sad, and in its own way beautiful and almost right. If handled differently, this relationship could have been disgusting or icky, and certainly gratuitious. Golden makes it none of those things; she sets up the situation neatly and resolves it with care and compassion. So if you've heard about that aspect of the book and been put off, don't me. Instead, give Golden and her characters a chance and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. This is a setup book; we only begin to have an inkling of what the world and characters will be facing by the end. I now have book two in transit to me and I look forward to seeing where the story goes from here. As for the dragon, he's just totally cool as a dragon should be. And the covers are very much of the pretty - as most Luna covers are - and I'm hanging out to see what the last three will look like. [Copied across from Library Thing; 17 October 2012]

Review # 2 was written on 2007-10-10 00:00:00 Allen Gabbard I have finally read another Luna. I've had some of these books for a very long time, it seems. They've been stacked up waiting, sort of pathetically. It always makes me feel good to clear one of them off the TBR Range. And some of them, naturally, are better than others. This one, On Fire's Wings falls into that category. Kevla Bai-Sha is the daughter of a halaan, a prostitute, and one of the many male clients she's taken over the years. Kevla's job is to sing and dance in the marketplace to attract new customers for her father. The job doesn't thrill her, but, eh, it's a job. Until the day the khashim, or leader, of the Clan of Four Waters finds her in the marketplace. Upon discovering that she is his daughter by a woman Tahmu (the clan leader) loved but couldn't marry, he takes her back to his house to serve as a servant. He promises she will have a good life. Kevla's destiny, however, is not to serve her father unknowingly. She has a greater purpose, one that has been hers over four lifetimes. One she must fulfill, for better or worse. One that will bring her face to face with the Great Dragon of Arukan. I loved this book. I was a fantasy reader before I was a romance reader and this is the sort of fantasy that I like. There's a well-constructed, immersive world. There are well-rounded characters that are so three-dimensional that you can honestly root for or rage against them. Even the minor characters made me care. The storyline was exciting and engaging. I kept turning pages and charging through words to see what would happen next. There's just one thing that gave me pause. It was a big enough thing that I almost put the book down and walked away. I will spoiler it below: SPOILER: Tahmu has a son, Jashemi. He's Kevla's half-brother. He knows he's Kevla's half-brother, while she doesn't know that they're related. And they have sex. It's a taboo in their world, just like it is in theirs. END SPOILER I read that bit through my fingers, essentially. Skimmed it, turned pages faster. I'm glad I didn't put the book down because it really is a fantastic story, but man. Not something I expected to read from a Luna. Then again, I've read the Spice Briefs and been surprised more than once there, too. Oh. I did notice editing errors in this book. I don't know, if I didn't write and such on my own, whether I would have noticed them, but there were enough to be a little distracting. Anyway, an excellent book, a great read and highly recommended.