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The Memory of Fire The Waking Land Callie Bates Books

Download As PDF : The Memory of Fire The Waking Land Callie Bates Books

The Memory of Fire The Waking Land Callie Bates Books

I didn’t think it was possible to fall more in love with the characters, land, or magic that Callie Bates created in the first novel, but this second one is even better. The charming and complicated Jahan is given so much depth in this book, and his interactions with those around him bring you even deeper into his story and the world at large. I could barely put this book down. I will be impatiently away the next book. I wish it was out already!


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The Memory of Fire The Waking Land Callie Bates Books Reviews

3.75 Stars

The Waking Land, first book in this series introduced us to Elanna Valtai, a teenage heroine who was enjoyable to read, and Jahan, a character who, as can be seen in my review of the previous book, I had reservations about. Whereas The Waking Land was all told from Elanna's POV, The Memory of Fire is Jahan's POV, a brave change of course for a second book. (Audiobook listeners who recall Erin Spencer's narration as Elanna in the first book will have Andrew Eiden narrating this book as Jahan.)

As the book opens, Elanna has exhausted herself and her powers trying to wake the land and restore agricultural fertility to villages in Eren. Jahan is called back to Paladis and we are introduced, through his painful memories and intrusive communique from a witch by the name Madiya (I kept thinking of Medea), to his painful history. Jahan and his younger brothers Rayka and Lathiel have all had their minds and their magic manipulated by Madiya. The damage done to their family has resulted in Jahan suffering lasting trauma and self-doubt. Madiya, using a combination of drugs and what can only be seen a coercion and torture, has sought to make Jahan resistant to the witch hunters, who use bells to see out those with magic. The tone of the bells disables the magician and from the opening scenes of the book we know that from early childhood, Jahan is as familiar with their use as he is with his own struggles to use magic in his homeland. (In contrast how to his magical ability flows when he is with Elanna in Eren.)

While I was interested in finding out more about Jahan's history, I found that I missed Elanna's bright voice. (I have to say that overall, Bates' prowess at the first person POV writing has improved since the first book.) This is a much darker book than the first entry in the series, because Jahan has had a much darker life. The political intrigue that awaits Jahan back in Ida is fast and thick, as he finds Lathiel addicted to opium, Rayka missing, his friend Prince Leontius on the outs, and all the usual fear of discovery should he or his brothers be revealed as sorcerers. Add to that Emperor Alakseus, who was less than thrilled with a Caveadear magically waking the land in Eren, having Elanna captured and dragged before him for draining of her power and execution. (He doesn't give a damn about kidnapping a subject from another country, dragging them before his throne and sentencing them to death for something that was legal in the country they were kidnapped from.) In attempting to protect her, Jahan himself is revealed as a sorcerer.

Some of the lackluster manner of Jahan that I felt in the first book is now clearly understandable after reading his history in this second book. His tendency to despair (in contrast to Elanna's resilience) made the middle portion of the book drag a bit but the last third of the book is full of action, as things must be put aright in Paladis. It is also full of Elanna and Jahan working in synchrony and ultimately I have decided I like them together. Jahan is a different character when Elanna is around.

This book's final chapter and epilogue provide a clear opening for a third book in the series. Bates has created a world that is fresh and characters who have plenty more life in them. I will definitely pick up the next book to see what trouble Elanna and Jahan get into next. I do have to say that I hope it will be Elanna telling us about it, however. The comparative vivacity of her POV just makes for an easier read.
When I read the first book of this series, Elanna was the main character and the focus was on her strengths, her weaknesses, her growing magic, and her relationships with her country, it's citizens and with her romantic interest, Jahan. With her being the center of attention characters such as Jahan, while important as they were to Elanna in The Waking Land, I didn't grow as attached to them as I did to El. I found Jahan to be stoic, secretive, and quick with the grin and the flippant response to deflect any attention away from himself. And it worked; my feelings for him were relevant only to El's feelings for him. Not the best way to set up the main character for your second novel in a series.

That being said, I knew Jahan was the MC in The Memory of Fire before I started reading, but I knew so very little of the man that it was like starting over. And, truly, this book does start from the beginnings of Jahan's life. He was secretive about his sorcery in The Waking Land, but I assumed it was because it was punishable by death in Paladis. TMOF shows there is more to Jahan's secrecy concerning his magic, his family, and the sorceress who trained him, Madiya.

In the midst of Eren's battle against their bordering countries, Jahan finds himself called back to Ida to find his brothers. He regrettably left them in the hands of Madiya years ago when he escaped her control. Since then he has felt nothing but disgust with himself and hatred toward the woman who made him what he is today, a sorcerer whose magical powers are growing exponentially.

Once in Ida, Jahan meets up with former classmates and friends, and he learns his relationship with Prince Leontius has soured. He finds one brother, Lathiel, but Rayka, the middle one, is still missing. Over and over Jahan mentally kicks himself that his brothers have suffered because he left them, unable to save them. At one point, during an especially angry self-castigation, I myself grew angry and yelled at the book, "Does this man have no joy in his life at all???"

I calmed down but it still made me wonder if I wanted to read 200 more pages of a guy tormenting himself to death. Then, a main element of the story changed and Jahan had more to worry about than his brothers and his multiple failings, imagined or not. Jahan's reconnection with his university chum, Pantoleon, adds a spark to the morose sorcerer. And, while the countryside of Eren gave Jahan a source of magical strength that Paladis does not, he discovers there are other ways to power his sorcery. Some fascinating, some deadly.

Throughout the story, Jahan has serious trust issues with pretty much anyone from his childhood. There is so much treachery and backstabbing and betrayal that I had trouble trusting anyone either. His childhood was so sad. His family is a destructive mess. The sorceress keeps trying to reconnect with him and she is the least trustworthy of them all. Jahan might crack wise and toss a quick grin to be charming or deflect attention, but these actions made me feel so sad for him. The boy needs a reboot on his life.

So, while I found TMOF to be exponentially darker than TWL and I didn't attach to Jahan as well as I did with Elanna, I do like those two together. They make a good power couple. Literally. They make one another happy and Jahan has more interesting and productive things to focus on when he's with her. And their combined wizardry is stunning.

The magic is strong, the world building is intricate without being too confusing, and I do like the direction this series is taking. The ending is not a cliffhanger, but it does let you know the third book will have yet another main character, one we already know, narrate the final chapter of the story. It's a good series, I'm enjoying it and I will pre-order my copy of the final book as soon as it's available. Maybe Jahan will find a little more happiness in the next book. I'm rooting for him.
Captivating story as was the first one. Hard to put down.
I'm not really a literary critic. All I know is I was hooked. Each book kept my attention the whole way through and then hoping for another. I even signed up early for the next release. Please keep writing!
I didn’t think it was possible to fall more in love with the characters, land, or magic that Callie Bates created in the first novel, but this second one is even better. The charming and complicated Jahan is given so much depth in this book, and his interactions with those around him bring you even deeper into his story and the world at large. I could barely put this book down. I will be impatiently away the next book. I wish it was out already!