Kadomi reviewed Cold Fire (Spiritwalker, #2) by Kate Elliott
Review of 'Cold Fire (Spiritwalker, #2)' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Cold Fire directly continues the story of Beatrice and Catherine, on the run from cold mages and the Prince of Adurnam. Yet even though it's a direct continuation, it's a very different book. I really enjoyed the setting of the mage houses and the political aspects but you get none of that here, as Cold Fire is set in the Antilles, not in Europa. Cat and Bee flee through the spirit world and get separated, and Cat ends up on Kiskeya, which translates to Hispaniola in our real world setting, aka the big island that has both the Dominican Republic and Haiti today. Expedition is the big city on Kiskeya, where Cat ends up after being rescued by a fire mage working for the Napolean-cameo General Camjiata. Cat's still-husband Andevai the cold mage manages to locate her in Expedition, and she gets swept up in his involvement of the common …
Cold Fire directly continues the story of Beatrice and Catherine, on the run from cold mages and the Prince of Adurnam. Yet even though it's a direct continuation, it's a very different book. I really enjoyed the setting of the mage houses and the political aspects but you get none of that here, as Cold Fire is set in the Antilles, not in Europa. Cat and Bee flee through the spirit world and get separated, and Cat ends up on Kiskeya, which translates to Hispaniola in our real world setting, aka the big island that has both the Dominican Republic and Haiti today. Expedition is the big city on Kiskeya, where Cat ends up after being rescued by a fire mage working for the Napolean-cameo General Camjiata. Cat's still-husband Andevai the cold mage manages to locate her in Expedition, and she gets swept up in his involvement of the common people's revolution against the Council ruling Expedition, but also in Camjiata's machinations. Yes, it really is as complicated as it sounds. So, no more intrigues of the mage houses, this time you have General Camjiata as nemesis, as Cat tries to keep Vai and him apart while at the same time trying to figure out how to save Beatrice from getting chopped up by the Wild Hunt.
As confusing as this all sounds, I really enjoyed it. Sure, it had some awful stuff, like the almost mandatory zombies (called salters here), but I found it an engrossing read. I usually don't care much for romance in fantasy, but felt that Vai and Cat had fantastic chemistry. I might have made this 4.5 stars if not for one stupid thing. I don't know what this date-rapey bullshit with James Drake was supposed to be. It wasn't really a love triangle of any sorts, and it kinda turned an interesting character into a giant douchebag who kept trying to slutshame Cat. Didn't help that everyone else, including Vai, mumbled about it and then promptly moved on, as if it was no big deal. Erm, hello?
So, four stars it is for me, and I am looking forward to the final installment in the series.