Promise of Fire

I inhaled this book! Cat was an absolute delight, and her friction with Beta Team was absolutely hilarious and completely engaging. The tension between her and Griffin (Beta Sinta) was palpable from the second they meet. The romance was very slow burn, with plenty of banter leading up to their eventual coming together. Even better than the romance though, was the actual plot and worldbuilding in this book! There are so many fantasy-romance novels out there where the plot and world takes a backseat to the romance; my biggest pet peeve is when the hero and heroine are indulging in a moment of romance that makes absolutely no sense given what's going on around them. Griffin and Cat keep their eyes on the ball, and the author does a great job of weaving the romance with the plot. I loved this world that Amanda Bouchet built; the mix of tribes with Greek gods, magic, and creatures was chef's kiss perfection. In particular, I loved her description of what dragons look like in this world. I won't spoil it, but it was completely unique!

My only gripe with this story was Griffin's alpha-male-ness. Which, a certain amount of, you expect in a romance novel. But I was definitely feeling uneasy with how much emotional manipulation Griffin was exerting over Cat throughout the story. The story is written in a way where you know that Cat wants to make the decision, but is being held back by very real fears, and Griffin just coaxes her past her fear. But they way he was doing that was very clearly problematic behavior. I truly think it's possible for us to have alpha male heroes that still respect the heroine's right to make her own decisions.

To be honest, I read this, and skimmed the first two chapters or so of A Breath of Fire, before deciding that I cannot keep reading this series.

Cat is captured by Beta Sinta (AKA Griffin), the second in line to a non-magical family that just captured the Sintan realm. He knows that Cat is the Kingmaker, and therefore uses that as justification to take her from the circus she's found as her family to his realm. He assures her that Cat is part of Team Beta, that she'll find his family as amazing as he does, and that she's obviously falling for him, a big, bad-ass tough guy that could break her (but doesn't, because he's actually gentle to people he cares for).

I don't know how to take this. Is it a fantasy book that doesn't understand its genre's conventions, or a romance that doesn't know what agency and consent mean? Cat has very little agency. Cat does very little, aside from antagonize Griffin. She's removed from the friends she's adopted as a family, quite forcefully, and then told over and over that she's obviously falling for him. Sure, we get to see her mind's eye, and from that perspective we see a very conflicted person. But is it believable? Does it contribute to the character's growth? Have the character's grown? Or just accepted a role or position because escape seems impossible?

I'm disappointed. I felt that Cat isn't allowed space to grow. That the relationship between Cat and Griffin is forced. Not just because Griffin pushes his agenda (I need you for your powers), but also for plot development (my characters must end together!).

Overall, it the execution is poorly done. I can't believe that magic exists, so much as divine intervention at convenient moments that appear magical. I can't believe that Cat has grown, because she hasn't been provided space to grow. I can't believe the relationship genuine, because it exists solely to ensure that Griffin can secure a spot in the greater political environment of the world. In the end, this fails as either a fantasy or a romance novel.