ARC Review: A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet

I received this book for free from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet
Series: The Kingmaker Chronicles #1
Published by Sourcebooks on August 2nd, 2016
Genres: Fantasy
Goodreads

Catalia "Cat" Fisa is a powerful clairvoyant known as the Kingmaker. This smart-mouthed soothsayer has no interest in her powers and would much rather fly under the radar, far from the clutches of her homicidal mother. But when an ambitious warlord captures her, she may not have a choice…

Griffin is intent on bringing peace to his newly conquered realm in the magic-deprived south. When he discovers Cat is the Kingmaker, he abducts her. But Cat will do everything in her power to avoid her dangerous destiny and battle her captor at every turn. Although up for the battle, Griffin would prefer for Cat to help his people willingly, and he's ready to do whatever it takes to coax her…even if that means falling in love with her.

I went into A Promise of Fire with all the excitement of a 7 year old going to Disney World. I knew absolutely NOTHING about it until I saw it on the BEA signing list (a few weeks before the beloved event) and I just had to have it. The synopsis screamed at me! And why wouldn’t it?! It has a smart mouth kick ass powerful chick, a guaranteed brooding warlord AND a homicidal mom you know is going to put up one hell of a magical fight! What sane person wouldn’t be up for ALL OF THAT?!

And the book starts off with a bang! We’re immediately swept into Cat’s world of mystery and magic and to be perfectly honest you don’t want to leave! Even me, who HATES the circus (clowns =eww) was completely enraptured by the circus Cat was a member of. A circus full of people with magic I could envision but could have never thought up on my own.

Bouchet has created a magical and daring tale, wrapped in suspense and secrets. You never know who can truly be trusted or what secrets are really being guarded but you know you want to find out. You want to see where the story will take Cat, Griffin, Flynn, Kato,and Carver! This, to me at least, is the most important thing in any fantasy story. Not the magic, (though that was phenomenal in A Promise of Fire) the ability to have a reader completely engrossed in the journey unfolding in their hands.

I did take one star away because I felt like more could have been resolved, but overall? Between the dragon (yeah that’s right), magic, characters, journey, and oh so lovely sexual tension, I can easily see myself rereading this in the VERY near future and I’m already stalking goodreads for news on a sequel!