Review: Scales of Fire by Ashley Capes
Blurb:
The thrilling sequel to War Heart (Book 1 of The Five Furies)!
Rejoin Kilek and his friends as they continue their quest to awaken long-lost dragons, learn to use their gifts and come to terms with being thrust into adulthood - if they can.
Yet stopping the hordes of giant insects isn't going to be easy. Not with new Surrogates and fresh doubts hounding them every step of the way. For despite their progress, factures within the group of young heroes have grown, and even betrayal begins to seem possible.
Worst of all, when Kilek finally learns exactly what the Goddess gave him - her gift comes with a terrible price that might just end up costing him the lives of his friends...
Review:
We’re back in Ashley Capes The Five Furies series with entry number two, Scales of Fire. This is, as I said in my review of book one (War Hearth) quintessential adventure fantasy. Book two does not disappoint, does not let up, and hits on all the right things continued on over from book one.
The story continues with Kilek, frustrated from not receiving any sort of boon from the goddess when all his other friends have, and they’ve grown where he hasn’t to make matters worse. We pick up at the cliff hanger, where Kilek faces down a strange enemy thats harried them for a time, one serving another god. In the end, they’re dealt with, but Kilek and his friends… can’t remember how. Strange.
But they got what they came for; The Clarion Song. The next step is enlisting the help of dragons to free the villagers of their home and the enemy hordes of insects that are threatening to overwhelm the continent. Easy, right? Wrong! Getting to the dragons proves a great ordeal, one filled with missteps and blunders and all the things you’d expect from an adventure. Better yet, Kilek finally learns of his boon, but it comes at a price; his humanity.
Delving more into the plot would be a bit too spoilery, so I’ll spare any more details for when you, the reader, take me at my word and pick up this series. If you’re looking for a grand, high stakes quest reminiscent of the old fantasy stories from many decades past, you’re in the right place. I said earlier that this series reminds me of the Legends of Zelda games, and this book keeps right along. Its that certain sense of wonder it gives you, mixed with the nostalgia of childhood playing those games, or I guess adulthood if you’re OLD (please don’t come for me, this is a joke).
Its very rewarding to see Kilek finally get what he needs, to see him rewarded for being faithful to his friends, to their cause, and to the world at large. And moreover, he becomes damn strong, in a very cool, very unique way to his companions and also to the fantasy genre as a whole. We meet some interesting enemies (opponents?) on the way. For instance, sentient barnacles, who thinks of that? A pack of blood thirsty human eating wolves, and mech-like insects that combine together to become something bigger. Oh, and dragons, but they’re the good guys.
In case you couldn’t tell, I love the atmosphere/setting of this series. Its great, it drags you and pulls you along before you know it. It feels lived in, which is always something I’m on the look out for in my books and reviews. The plot here is a common one, but done well, all things considered. I mean, look at some of the biggest fantasy books out there, like Eragon by Christopher Paolini and the Bound and the Broken by Ryan Cahill. Who doesn’t like books about discovering dragons and riding them?
The other characters, because of Kilek’s transformation, do take a bit of a back seat in this story, for better or worse. They had their time, and now it's Kileks. And then he’s beginning to develop a relationship with… someone. I can’t exactly say who, because I’m not sure who he will end up with, but its perplexing that he’s considering it at all. You have more important things to focus on!
This is one I definitely enjoyed. The feeling I got from book one was hard to replicate, though, and so I would put War Heart just marginally above this one in terms of my enjoyment, BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE, this is a great book, and I’m here for the long haul of the Five Furies.
Scales of Fire is the next instalment in a great adventure fantasy series that more people should be paying attention to. Perfect for fans of dragon rider stories, DnD, Zelda-like games, and just a whole lot of fun, I can’t wait to see how the story continues.
