Fire in the Blood by Erin M. Evans

Release Date: October 14, 2014
Publisher: Wizards of the Coast
Author Website: http://slushlush.com/

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Synopsis:
As the events of the Sundering continued across the land, Farideh and Havilar found themselves secreted away in a house owned by Havilar's beloved, Brin, in the very city he tried to flee. Unfortunately, Brin also happened to be the betrothed of the Princess of Cormyr. Along with all of the conflicts and trials brought on by the fact they were tieflings in a city which rarely saw different species, the war against the Shade left the Crown Prince missing and his son gravely wounded.

In the middle of all the chaos, Sharran invaded the royal court and only Farideh was able to root them out before they did damage enough to allow the Shade to overrun Cormyr. Her life as a Chosen complicated her missions as well as the lives of those she loved, but she must put all that aside in order to do what must be done. Was she able to solve the puzzle of Shar's plan before it's too late? Will lives be lost including her own?

Review:
I first entered Farideh's world when I explored the Sundering Series last year through NetGalley.  The series was comprised of six distinct novels about the separation of two worlds and its impact on their respective peoples and gods. Farideh and her journey as a Chosen, one blessed by a specific deity for an unknown purpose, were explored in the third book of the series entitled The Adversary. Her journey continued in this new novel and involved many of the same characters that interacted with her in the previous book.

While much of the story centered around Farideh and her search to understand why she was called to be a Chosen, there were many moments when other characters had their moment in the spotlight. Her companions from the previous novel, including Havilar, her twin; Mehen, their father; Brin, lover to Havilar and betrothed to Readra; and Lorcan, archdevil that has Farideh under a pact, made up a large portion of the action and adventure in this novel. Even though much of what happened in the book followed the events of The Adversary, the author did a wonderful job inserting necessary information about the characters and their past decisions that I could have learned about them without having read the previous book beforehand. They were very much a mixture of good and evil, sinner and saint. Some were happy to switch sides whenever necessary while others were bothered greatly by the mere thought of going against their beliefs.

Struggles of the heart, struggles within the royal court and struggles on the battlefield were all on display in this particular novel. The pace of the story varied according to whatever was happening in the chapter at hand. Some of the chapters went by fairly quick as there were battles or fighting which propelled the story forward. Others moved slower as the intrigue and political maneuvering within the royal court between the nobles weighed the story down. There were three vastly different settings in which events took place. Each of these places also played a part in the speed at which the action occurred.

By the very end of the book, I was happy that I requested the book. The story answered many of the questions that lingered after reading The Adversary. It also left its own set of questions that I hope will be answered in another visit to Farideh's part of the world. Even with the few bumps in the road, there were many funny, sweet moments that mixed well with the serious ones. This book was written as a sequel of sorts, but it did very well as a stand-alone type of novel, in my opinion. If you're looking for an unusual heroine to root for in an abnormal adventure or simply love the world within the Forgotten Realms, then this book should be among your TBR pile.

Fire in the Blood by Erin M. Evans is currently available through both online retailers and local bookstores. It can be purchased in hardcover, paperback, audio-book and Kindle. The following link is for the book's Amazon page.
Fire in the Blood by Erin M. Evans