Saturday Series: Darkness, Kindled (Fire Spirits #4) by Samantha Young

Darkness, Kindled was released this week and is the fourth and final installment of the Fire Spirits serie by Samantha Young. I do recommend reading the other books first, before reading this review as it contains spoilers if you haven't read the first three books. To keep up with these Saturday Series, click the following links for those reviews: Smokeless Fire, Scorched Skies and Borrowed Ember.

Ari Johnson wishes adjusting to living with her boyfriend was her only source of excitement and anxiety.
She wishes a lot of things.
But then wishing was what got her here in the first place.

Ari chose to be a Guild Hunter. She wanted to hunt dangerous Jinn and destroy them before they could harm innocent people. But now that Ari is a member of The Guild, she finds herself in the impossible position of hunting her ex-best friend – human-turned-dangerous sorcerer, Charlie Creagh. As Ari struggles to come to terms with her duty, an ancient Jinn and his companion want revenge on her for using the command of the Seal against them; the White King refuses to give up on his quest to resurrect Lilif, and Asmodeus isn’t done toying with her.

When Ari can take no more, rushing to the Sultan Azazil’s side to demand of him the favor he owes her, the events she sets in motion will not only alter everyone’s lives, it will kindle a darkness that will shake the realms to their very core.

Review:
This is what I'm talking about, at last some action is happening. The previous book ended with Charlie snapping and now he's wanted. It will be Ari's job to catch him, but since she still has a soft spot for Charlie it won't be an easy task.

Before it can all come together, everything will have to collapse first. When Ari cashes in her favor from Azazil, she had no ideas what the consequences would be. Some people will get their happy ending and even though Ari doesn't regret the decision she made, she unleashed a power that could ruin them all.

Darkness, Kindled is actually divided into three parts or stories. So it's pretty much every time someone gets their happy ending something or rather someone will step in the way of Ari. Challenges are kept thrown her way, but with Jai by her side and her other Jinn friends, they will find a way out no matter how impossible it may seem. They even receive help from a very surprising corner.

What was missing in the previous books (action, love, emotional confessions...) is finally here. Ari kicks some serious butt, no longer miss damsel in distress. Jai finally bares his soul to her, through words and actions (still very PG). That guy is so amazing. Him and Ari keep butting heads, but the maling up parts are fantastic.

I can't say too much without giving away anything, but Darkness,Kindled is a great ending for the Fire Spirits serie.

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Saturday Series: Borrowed Ember (Fire Spirits #3) by Samantha Young

Third book for my Saturday Series. Today I'm reviewing Borrowed Ember by Samantha Young. Next week the fourth book in the series, Darkness Kindled, will be released. I do recommend reading the other books first, before reading this review as it contains spoilers if you haven't read the first two books. To keep up with these Saturday Series, click the following links for those reviews: Smokeless Fire and Scorched Skies.

Everything in Ari’s life until this point has been borrowed.
Her human life with a man who wasn't her real father.
A love for a boy who needed more than her to be strong.
Kisses with a Jinn who refused to do anything but lend them out in moments of weakness.
And even her resolve, which seemed to fail her whenever she needed it most.

But Ari is done borrowing. She finally feels strong enough to make hunting Jinn not just a hobby to get her through her dismal situation, but to make hunting a permanent and necessary career. Her friendship with Charlie might finally make it onto real and steady ground if only she can save him from the trial on Mount Qaf. And her love for Jai could be eternal, if only she could gain control over the darkness of the Seal within her.

Ari believes all of this is doable. That finally she will truly own the relationships in her life and to a certain extent have ownership over her future.

But none of that matters when it isn't up to her…

…For high in the emerald mountains of Mount Qaf, the Sultan Azazil has been keeping secrets.
Even from the Jinn Kings.
Secrets that will change everything… and bring Ari to the crashing realization that once again… she’s borrowed something that will never truly belong to her.

Something that is desperate to be unleashed.
Something that could destroy them all.

Review:

I'm slightly disappointed in this book. It feels like always the same is happening and it's all moving very slowly. Charlie keeps getting more and more in trouble, he's also still conflicted about his feelings between Ari and Fallon. Plus he's absolutely being selfish and I really don't like the guy.

Ari is having trouble with keeping control over the seal, feeling it keeps growing stronger. Still somehow that isn't really translating of the pages. There are indeed moments when her emotions are really high and then the seal really shows, but otherwise it's not convincing me. Also Ari wants to take control in her own hands, not wanting to be saved all the time, wanting to hunt bad Jinns, having that purpose in life, but she still comes over and behaves like a victim. I had hoped she would have gotten a stronger personality, but she's a puppet for everyone, behaving exactly how they want it.

Jai is still the sweetest guy ever. He finally dares to open up, we get more insight in what he's thinking and feeling. There are even some scenes where it starts to get all hot and heavy between him and Ari, before Mrs. Maggie interrupts. Unfortunately he still stays a bit in the background. He's foremost Ari's protector and an excellent fighter, all the rest comes second. I know he's a man of few words, but his opinion and personality should have the opportunity to shine a bit more.

I can't say much about the story without giving away spoilers, but overall I'm wondering if this was really all? There is this feeling for me that there should be more. Some side characters have these big personalities that draw your attention, while somehow the main characters start fading towards the background, when it should be the opposite. Samantha Young has created this wonderful world of Jinns, but I feel she's not using the full potential of that world. I'm really hoping the fourth installment will bring some more excitement.

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Saturday Series: Scorched Skies (Fire Spirits #2) by Samantha Young

Another Saturday Series and this week I'm reviewing Scorched Skies. It is the second book in the Fire Spirits series by Samantha Young. To keep up with the series, you can find the review of Smokeless Fire (Fire Spirits #1) by following this link.

The White King has crossed the line, sounded the horn, sent out the wolves.

When blood is shed and life is lost the reality of Ari’s position as both hunter and prey finally sets in. It seems her father will stop at nothing to force her will to his own and distracted by Charlie’s latest mistake and her seemingly misguided attraction to Jai, Ari never thought to fear anyone else but the Jinn King.

Blindsided and attacked, Ari learns a new wolf has joined the hunt. A dark sorcerer believes he knows a way to bleed the power of the Seal and wield it as his own, and he is even less patient than The White King.

The War for the Seal has only just begun… and it’s time for Ari to turn it on its head.
It’s time for Ari to stop acting like the hunted.

It’s time for Ari to become the hunter.

Review:

So Ari is finally coming to terms with being a Jinn, but now her father knows the truth and it's putting a major strain on their relationship. All she wants is for him to love her, but that might not be enough.

After another tragic event, Ari has to go on the run from a dark sorcerer, who wants to use her for his evil purposes. Being chased is absolutely no fun and being accompanied by two boys behaving like 10 years old doesn't make it any easier.

Ari has to make the decision: will she choose for Charlie, her childhood crush, or for Jai, her fearsome protector. Tired of always waiting and letting other people push her, Ari focusses on becoming the hunter and trying to ignore her feelings as they only stand in her way.

So Ari is definitely becoming stronger, not just her powers, but her as a person. She is still conflicted between Charlie and Jai, but she will make the right choice (hopefully).

Charlie is still on the path of revenge, but he tries to be good for Ari's sake. I'm still not sure if I like Charlie or not. You hope he ands up alright, but it's kind of hard when he keeps making all the wrong choices.

Jai is still trying to decide if he's just Ari's protector or maybe something more. If only his loyalty towards his father didn't stand in the way. The tension between Ari and Jai was killing me. You keep rooting for them to make the right decision.

Fallon is a new character, half Jinn descendant or something like that. Having to use talismans to perform magic, she catches the attention of Charlie. I do like Fallon. She hyperactive and pretty laid back. Fallon makes the tension between Ari and the two guys disappear.

So definitely read if you want to know what's going to happen between Ari and Jai. If you like magic, romance and action, Scorched Skies is a book for you. A perfect read for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

 

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