Night of Flame by Jordan Rivet
Genre – Fantasy
Published 5/17/2017
Ages 14+
About the Book – Night of Flame Continues to Burn Bright
“As the Lantern Maker terrorizes the continent with his Fireworker army, Dara struggles to master her new powers in order to stop him. She doesn’t know whether she can bring herself to destroy her father, but she’s running out of alternatives—and the fiery devastation is getting worse. She’ll have to make a final, terrible choice before the end.
Meanwhile, Siv musters a fighting force to retake his kingdom. His sister Selivia offers help in an unexpected form, but his new allies may not be as reliable as he thinks. Siv and Dara are drawn into a battle they didn’t anticipate, and trusting the wrong people could cost them the war.
Back in Vertigon, Queen Sora learns of a new threat. Even if Siv, Dara, and Selivia make it back to the mountain, they could be too late to save it. As the four of them struggle to overcome the forces of violence, power, and ambition, they are swept toward a final conflict that will determine the fate of every land on the continent.
The only way to restore peace is through war—and even that might not be enough.” – Publisher’s Blurb
The Review – A Worthy Finale
As we expect from a finale, Miss Rivet wraps everything up beautifully. No “t” uncrossed, no “i” undotted. We appreciate everything Miss Rivet has put into the finishing of this series. Night of Flame is a suiting ending for Dara and the gang.
Different But Great
At the same time, some of the things we loved in Duel of Fire won’t be found in Night of Flame. The world that had been so eloquently crafted and grounded in previous installments takes a backseat to the narrative. Now, while we loved Duel of Fire, we couldn’t expect the same nuance and attention to detail in Night of Flame. The very natures of the books are different. A finale serves a different purpose to the overall story, we get to see the world that Miss Rivet had forged so carefully utilized in marvelous ways.
It was strange, as we continued the series, we didn’t think much about this subtle and slow change, but it always occurs. We can’t really say we loved this book for all of the same reasons that we loved the first. And yet, it is inexorably tied to the previous work, informed by it, and made better by it. It is impossible to consider any book of a series, save for perhaps the first, in a vacuum. Everything we loved throughout the series is still here, even if it isn’t present in the text.
The Rating – A+
This rating isn’t just for Night of Flame, but the rest of the series too. Jordan Rivet’s Steel and Fire series is some of the best YA fantasy out there. Off the top of our heads, we couldn’t name any we liked more, and that’s saying a lot. When we picked up Duel of Fire, we were skeptical. We usually find something lacking in YA fiction, whether it is a lack of attention to detail, world-building, or plot. Heck, we will go a step further and say this is some of the best fantasy around. Miss Rivet did a phenomenal job pulling everything together to create one of the best books, and series, that we read in 2017.
As for Night of Flame, in particular, it is packed with action and adventure. The pacing is spot on, making each page seem to turn quicker than the last. Perhaps what makes Night of Flame a resounding success is not in the action, but that it is such a satisfying end to such a beautifully written series.
Now, if you want to read this series, and we highly recommend you do, you can find it here.