Review: Fire Heart by Emma Hamm
“Oh, no rose could compare to you. For a rose is beautiful, Lady of Starlight, but it has no secrets to uncover. No mysteries to unfold. You are a thousand questions and a million truths just out of my reach.”
The Basics
Title: Fire Heart (The Dragon of Umbra #1)
Author: Emma Hamm
Published: 2022
Publisher: Emma Hamm
Pages: 378
Format: Paperback
Genres: Fiction — Fantasy, Romance, Fantasy romance, High fantasy
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Book Synopsis
As a half elf in a land where any degree of magical heritage is a death sentence, Lorelai has spent her entire life in the shadows, trying to pass as human. After being strong-armed into joining a group of resistance fighters, however, she is cast into the light and forced to enter the king’s bridal competition. The winner of the games will become the future queen, but Lorelai does not need to actually win the competition. The rebel group to which she now belongs has only tasked her with killing the king, but even that will be no small feat. The king is accompanied at all times by his bodyguard, Abraxas, who in addition to being physically fearsome, can shapeshift into an even more fear-inspiring dragon. Lorelai knows that she should be afraid of Abraxas or at the very least, strive to go unnoticed by him for the sake of her mission, but she can’t stay away from him. She inexplicably finds herself drawn to him, which threatens not only her mission but also her heart.
My Review & Overall Thoughts
TLDR: An entertaining, bingeable fantasy romance.
Fire Heart might be the first Emma Hamm book that I have ever read, but I can safely say that it will not be my last. She knows how to spin a riveting tale that ensnares your attention from the very beginning. I was so entranced by the story that I blew through the entire book in a single day, staying up late into the night to finish it (much to the detriment of my productivity the following day 😆).
The primary driver of its unputdownable-ness is the slow-burn romance between Lorelai and Abraxas. From their very first meeting, their interactions are abuzz with sexual tension and yearning; you can all but feel the electrifying energy between them. There is also a complexity to their relationship. As the king’s right hand, Abraxas has assisted, both directly and indirectly, in the crown’s systematic killing of magical beings like Lorelai, and as Lorelai learns later on, his deeds done in service to the crown also include a particularly horrific and traumatic event in her life. It is a nuanced, enemies-to-lovers type of romance, where the road from enemies to lovers is not a straight shot but rather quite serpentine. Moreover, it is a romance where there is no hero – only a morally grey man. Trust me, you will be glued to the pages, devouring chapter after chapter so that you might find out how their story ends.
While Lorelai and Abraxas’ romance might be the focal point of the book, it is by no means the sole component of the plot. There is another compelling storyline that revolves around Lorelai’s attempt to infiltrate and win the king’s bridal competition so that she might slay him and thus end his rule of terror. It is a high-stakes game filled with action and plenty of tense, edge-of-your-seat moments. The plot, however, is not always full out, for sprinkled amongst these white-knuckled scenes are moments of levity that add balance, as well as humor, to the narrative.
Further contributing to the book’s readability is its narration style, namely its use of a dual point of view. The story is written from the perspective of both Lorelai and Abraxas, which facilitates the reader’s ability to gain a thorough understanding of both characters. We are able to learn who they are as individuals, as well as discern the ways in which they resemble and differ from one another. The alternating point of view also helps to pace the story and injects some suspense into the narrative, for when we switch from one point of view to another, we are often left with unanswered questions, which entices us to keep reading so that we might return to the previous point of view and glean more information.
The not so good
Periodically throughout the book, conspicuously modern vernacular is used (e.g., “They’d really given up their lives for a winner, obviously,” p. 4). When overtly contemporary phrasing is used in a fantasy, it can have a jarring effect and consequently can disrupt the flow of the story, as well as lessen its immersiveness. That said, the use of modern terminology in this book is not so frequent as to be completely disruptive.
Another quibble of mine pertains to the world building, namely it is somewhat lacking. The bulk of the story takes place inside the walls of Umbral Castle, with early chapters set in the city of Tenebrous. It would have been nice to journey beyond the borders of these two places, or at the very least, learn about what lays beyond them. Perhaps, however, the next book will remedy this and expand our understanding of the world.
Lastly, while not inherently bad, it is worth noting that this book ends on a cliffhanger. So, if being left hanging ain’t your thing, consider yourself forewarned.
Overall
Fire Heart may not be a perfect book, but it excels at its intended purpose: to entertain. When you read this book, you are transported to a fantastical realm in which dragons and elves are as real as you or I. You are granted respite from reality and the ability to vicariously live another’s life for a spell, and you can’t ask for much more than that.
Have you read Fire Heart? If yes, let me know what you thought of it in the comments section below, and if you haven’t read it, are you thinking of reading it?
