Name: Brimstone
Series: Fae & Alchemy #2
Author: Callie Hart
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Format: Hardcover
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance
Spice Rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Rating:
Synopsis: Goodreads
Duty. Blood. Honour. Power.
Saeris Fane doesn’t want power. The very last thing she needs is her name whispered on an entire court’s lips, but now that she’s been crowned queen of the Blood Court, she’s discovering that a queen’s life is not her own. A heavy weight rests upon her shoulders.
Her ward – and her brother – need her back in her homeland . . . but the changes that have strengthened Saeris have also made her weak. Born under blazing suns, Saeris will surely die if she makes her way home through the Quicksilver. Which means that, once again, she must send someone else in her stead . . .
‘Keep your mouth shut. Stick to the shadows. And for the love of all seven Gods, do NOT crack any jokes.’
Kingfisher of the Ajun Gate has defeated armies and survived all manner of horrors, but travelling back to Zilvaren with Carrion Swift might just be the death of him. The male just will not shut up. Hidden dangers await them down the narrow alleyways of the Silver City. Unfolding secrets pose impossible threats. Fisher must wrangle the smuggler and accomplish his goals quickly if he wants to see his mate again.
A darkness falls across Yvelia. The realm and their friends are in danger. Together, Saeris and Fisher will pass through fire and brimstone to save them.
Review:
Brimstone is the sequel to Quicksilver, which I also reread in December (which is why there is no review for that, as I read it last year!). I loved Quicksilver, my opinions on Brimstone are more mixed. That being said, whilst there may be spoilers for Quicksilver in this review, any spoilers for Brimstone will be hidden as per normal.
At the end of Quicksilver, we find out that Saeris is no longer human; in fact she is half fae and half vampire… And now that she is a (half) vampire and the killer of the previous king, by the blood court’s rules she is the new Queen of the Blood Court. So, I really had no idea where we were going to be going in Brimstone. I started to hear comments about a love triangle and got concerned that there was going to be a ‘vampire and their maker’ kind of love battling against Saeris and Kingfisher’s love… It was worrying!
The idea of a love triangle in this book was worrying full stop – to be clear. In my mind there is no option that isn’t Saeris and Kingfisher. I don’t know how you read Quicksilver and NOT share that opinion! And I was really looking forward to getting to see more of them as a couple because once their love started ramping up in Quicksilver, I knew this was going to be one of those ‘I’d burn the world down for them’ kind of loves!!
However, what I got instead left some to be desired… There was definitely an element of ‘I’d burn the world down for them’ kind of love, and I ate that up – every interaction that gave us even a hint of this I was 100% there for… However I felt as though there just wasn’t much interaction between Saeris and Kingfisher at all.
Now if you love Carrion, then you’re fed in this book. His involvement was excellent – and not just as comedic relief, but actual involvement… but as for our main characters, it started to feel like if they were together all we really got was spicey scenes. I don’t truly know if that is accurate, but it felt that way.
I struggled with the pacing of Brimstone, and one very specific element that I won’t mention here (but will be in the spoilers section at the end of the review because I simply have to talk about it) were my main reasons for not enjoying Brimstone as much as I could have. But there were also a lot of external factors that dampened my enjoyment of the book and kept me from wanting to pick it up, so I can appreciate that not all of the issues were Brimstone’s fault…
But despite all of that – what we did get with Saeris and Kingfisher (spice aside) and the secondary characters (which are becoming a found family that I am loving) – I can’t deny that I am hooked on these chracters and this story. The twist that is that ending by itself would have me picking up the next book, regardless! So yes, I will be reading the third book – I think it’s the final book too, and I am looking forward to it.
Okay here comes the spoiler I mentioned above. Absolutely do not read this unless you have read Brimstone.
The damn book from Fisher’s mum. What is the bloody point of anything if there is a magical book that has answers and guidance for all of the issues you’re going to face?! When that happened I almost DNF’d the book there and then. It was one of the main reasons I DNF’d a book last year also. I cannot stand the inclusion of this kind of ‘prophecy’ situation. This is no longer just riddles and unreachable entities. This is a book that you could just read – there is nothing stopping you – that tells you what’s going to happen and what you must do. I hate it.
“There isn’t much I wouldn’t sacrifice to make you happy, Osha.”
Reading With Tyler 
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