Helpful Score: 1
The kingdom of Ruan has been taken over by neighboring Sedra, and Rua and Sedorne folks live uneasily side-by-side. Fifteen-year-old orphan Zira lives in the namoa's religious temple and trains to become a warrior. An ugly burn scar on her face is the only relic she has of her childhood, when the rest of her family was destroyed by fire.
Suddenly Zira learns that she is not who she thinks she is, but rather Zahira Elfenesh, the sole surviving member of the Ruan royal family. Her uncle, the Sedorne king Abheron, is determined to get Zahira under his control. The only way she can perhaps overthrow her powerful uncle and save her people is to unite with Sorin Mesgao, a sympathetic Sedorne lord who rules Ruan land. Will she be able to get along with this man who is supposedly her enemy in order to lead the way to a better future?
Reading DAUGHTER OF THE FLAMES is like watching a high-action, "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon"-like movie. In other words, it's fantastic and utterly enthralling. Zoe Marriott has a wonderful way of vividly describing details, so that I could see every aspect of what was going on at any time in my mind.
The characters also were interesting and memorable. Zira/Zahira is an awesome female protagonist, kicking butt both literally--in suspenseful fight scenes reminiscent of Asian martial arts movies--and metaphorically--holding her own verbally in mental warfare. Abheron is a perfectly twisted antagonist with a surprisingly touching background, who occasionally does things that are so bizarre, so complex, and so inexplicable that I can definitely, without being able to explain it, see why he would want to do such things.
Upon finishing the book I let out a frustrated cry, so disappointed I was that the book had to end. Zoe Marriott is truly skilled at writing engrossing fantasies, and I definitely want to read more books by her in the future.
Suddenly Zira learns that she is not who she thinks she is, but rather Zahira Elfenesh, the sole surviving member of the Ruan royal family. Her uncle, the Sedorne king Abheron, is determined to get Zahira under his control. The only way she can perhaps overthrow her powerful uncle and save her people is to unite with Sorin Mesgao, a sympathetic Sedorne lord who rules Ruan land. Will she be able to get along with this man who is supposedly her enemy in order to lead the way to a better future?
Reading DAUGHTER OF THE FLAMES is like watching a high-action, "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon"-like movie. In other words, it's fantastic and utterly enthralling. Zoe Marriott has a wonderful way of vividly describing details, so that I could see every aspect of what was going on at any time in my mind.
The characters also were interesting and memorable. Zira/Zahira is an awesome female protagonist, kicking butt both literally--in suspenseful fight scenes reminiscent of Asian martial arts movies--and metaphorically--holding her own verbally in mental warfare. Abheron is a perfectly twisted antagonist with a surprisingly touching background, who occasionally does things that are so bizarre, so complex, and so inexplicable that I can definitely, without being able to explain it, see why he would want to do such things.
Upon finishing the book I let out a frustrated cry, so disappointed I was that the book had to end. Zoe Marriott is truly skilled at writing engrossing fantasies, and I definitely want to read more books by her in the future.
Helpful Score: 1
Reviewed by Joan Stradling for TeensReadToo.com
Fifteen-year-old Zira has been raised in the House of God, unaware of her true identity and with no memory of her family. She only knows they were killed when the Sedorne soldiers invaded Ruan.
Training to become a warrior has become her goal and purpose, but her life changes forever when she learns she has a much nobler destiny.
Zira must learn to come to terms with her new identity as she tries to lead the Ruan people to safety. Her only hope of overthrowing the tyrannical King Abheron is to trust a Sedorne - though she's been raised to believe he's a deadly enemy.
DAUGHTER OF THE FLAMES is a mesmerizing fantasy as well as a coming-of-age story told through brilliant prose and exciting plotting. Zira's story moves like a wildfire, burning her character into the reader's memory and heart.
Marriot does a magnificent job of characterization and brings Zira's world to life with ease. I felt drawn to Zira from the moment of her introduction, and the fast pace of the story made it difficult to put the book down.
Fifteen-year-old Zira has been raised in the House of God, unaware of her true identity and with no memory of her family. She only knows they were killed when the Sedorne soldiers invaded Ruan.
Training to become a warrior has become her goal and purpose, but her life changes forever when she learns she has a much nobler destiny.
Zira must learn to come to terms with her new identity as she tries to lead the Ruan people to safety. Her only hope of overthrowing the tyrannical King Abheron is to trust a Sedorne - though she's been raised to believe he's a deadly enemy.
DAUGHTER OF THE FLAMES is a mesmerizing fantasy as well as a coming-of-age story told through brilliant prose and exciting plotting. Zira's story moves like a wildfire, burning her character into the reader's memory and heart.
Marriot does a magnificent job of characterization and brings Zira's world to life with ease. I felt drawn to Zira from the moment of her introduction, and the fast pace of the story made it difficult to put the book down.
