by Gillian Bronte Adams
publisher’s synopsis
He rides a seablood, a steed of salt and spray, born to challenge the tides.
Six years ago, the wrong brother survived, and nothing will ever convince Rafi Tetrani otherwise. But he is done running from his past, and from the truth. As civil war threatens Ceridwen’s tenuous rule in Soldonia, Rafi vows to fight the usurper sitting on the imperial throne of Nadaar, even if it means shouldering his brother’s responsibilities as the empire’s lost heir.
The stolen shipload of magical warhorses offers just the edge he needs. But the steeds have been demanded in ransom by the emperor’s ruthless assassin, and if Rafi hopes to raise a band of riders, he must first outwit his brother’s murderer.
Yet when his best efforts end in disaster, and an audacious raid sparks an empire-wide manhunt, even forging an unexpected alliance might not be enough to help Rafi turn the tides, let alone outrace the wave of destruction intent on sweeping them all away.
Seas boil and jungles burn in this tempestuous second installment of The Fireborn Epic as the outcast queen, captive missionary, and royal rebel strive to unearth the mysterious power that hungers for their world.
“This is the first lesson every rider must learn: falling is not failing. Riding is getting up again. Again and again.” ~ Of Sea and Smoke
Get ready for another epic ride.
Once again, the worldbuilding was fantastic. I loved getting to spend more time in Soldonia and Nadar. Gillian has richly, and deeply developed her settings. There are so many things about it that I love. If I could go into her books (and not die), I would totally explore her worlds.
The characters continued to be great. Their personalities, voices, backstories, arcs–I loved getting to delve deeper into them in Of Sea and Smoke. And the hints of a certain budding romance made me happy. 😄 I had been the tiniest bit afraid while reading that there might be a love triangle, but thankfully that didn’t happen.
There were points during the novel where I was going to actually be mad at Gillian if she killed off certain characters. Thankfully though, she didn’t. (But other characters. . . 😶)
As she did in Of Fire and Ash, Gillian continues to tackle deep, hard themes, and her characters really wrestle with them. I loved the character growth that happened in Of Sea and Smoke, especially with Jakim. And I look forward to all that’s going to happen in book three!
Once again, I’d just note the level of violence for more sensitive readers. Because Of Sea and Smoke is an epic fantasy novel dealing with worldwide stakes, there are a number of battle scenes and mentions of war-related violence. Like in Of Fire and Ash, it’s never overly graphic or gory or excessive. But if you’re a more sensitive or younger reader, I’d consider whether or not the fighting and violence might be too much.
Of Sea and Smoke is not a small book. And Gillian once again has crafted an epic, masterful tale that’s sure to sweep away readers, touch their hearts, and leave them ready for the finale.
Cautions: light romance; semi-graphic, frequent heavy violence
I received an eARC from Enclave Publishing. All thoughts are my own. Of Sea and Smoke releases in November 2023.
Hailey Huntington 
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