Daughter of the Flames

In some ways Daughter of the Flames was a much more enjoyable read than Marriott’s previous (unrelated) novel The Swan Kingdom. I identified more with Zira’s journey than I did with Alexandra’s and felt the plot was better laid out in Daughter than in Swan.

The day before Zira is to take her vows and become a full fledged warrior priest in service of the Fire Goddess, calamity strikes, and everything she knows and loves is ripped away with one shocking revelation–her entire life, her memories, and even her name, were a lie. Why the memories were taken from her is almost inconsequential next to the changes those memories invoke in Zira.
Suddenly she is making decisions that are heartless, but necessary. Her old friends and show more teachers aren’t sure what to do and follow her reluctantly. Zira herself is uncertain and doubtful about her decisions, internally waging a war with every action she makes, wondering if it was too much too soon and whether she was the best choice.

Like Swan, this novel is also split into several parts. Part one is the set up before the attack. We learn about the religion, the political atmosphere and about who Zira is. It’s not quite appropriate to say that Zira is a pushover before the attack; she is brave and seeks to right wrongs even at the expense of her own life. Used to ridicule and jeers because of the scar on her face, Zira isn’t comfortable in crowds or leaving the temple walls. Several times Zira knows things, or figures things out, that are wholly outside her normal thinking, but a justified reason crops up to explain things.

Zira is given only the smallest of hints as to who she is before the attack begins and we are thrown into part two. Part two is very much about Zira learning who she is and what the cost of her memories are. Forced into a position where she has to find shelter for her people, she finds herself making hard decisions with little to no remorse. And that terrifies her. The Zira in part one would have leapt to defense of the child being smacked by the Sedorne guard–however the new Zira, who’s name is really Zahira, understands that sometimes the risks are just not justifiable. She places her trust in a Sedorne lord she met previously, who owed her his life, and this in turn leads to even harder choices.

When is an enemy more of a friend than an enemy? When should you stop being prejudiced and see someone for their actions, not their heritage? It takes Zira the better half of the second part to understand how she would answer these questions. Sorin Mesago is unlike any Sedorne she had ever met–he defies his people’s casual cruelty and treats Zira’s people, the Ruan, with dignity and respect. Why he does this is never fully explained, however. In fact Sorin’s initial appearance smacks of the “too good to be true” sort and made me wary to trust him myself.

I appreciated the solution that Sorin proposed to Zira, as a way to get rid of their mutual enemy King Abheron, and Zira’s response to it. Sorin stated his case logically, and Zira argued her points just as maturely. It was a major step for their relationship, and I felt it was handled well. Also it made the most sense, even if it meant putting trust in someone she barely knew.

The third part is wholly devoted to two things: Zira’s acceptance of who she has become and the plot to get rid of King Abheron. While I wasn’t surprised about Zira’s family connections, I was wholly shocked by Abheron’s backstory. It’s the case of a self-fulfilling prophecy. The King was “cursed” at birth, the priests saying he would be the death of everyone he loved, so his father set out to eliminate that threat by sequestering Abheron away from everyone. This led to a man who had no true idea of what love meant or what great lengths people in love would go to for each other. When confronted with love, he reacted the wrong way and caused the death of the one who loved.

My only real criticisms of the book are these: Marriott glosses over a lot of character development in favor of adding a new layer to the book. Ordinarily I would be fine with that, but character motivations are brought into question without the necessary development behind their actions.
There is also the matter Zira’s memories–the Fire Goddess took Zira’s memories for a reason, to keep her safe, but why would the return of those memories lead to drastic changes in her personality? She was five years old when the memories were taken, hardly enough time for her to develop the characteristics that occurred after Zira regained those lost years.

In the end the book did a better job of resolving the conflict and introducing new elements into it than Marriott’s last. It did not, however, match those improvements with character development, and that ruined some of the enjoyment I had in reading. show less

Daughter of the Flames by Zoe Marriott is one heck of a stellar fantasy novel, y'all. Everything about it is expertly done - from the setting to the characters to the plot. You better believe after this I'll be rabidly hunting down Zoe Marriott's other books like a dog with a bone.

The food, people and descriptions transport you - everything is so rich and vibrant that it all comes alive like you're experiencing it for yourself. And that, my friends, is writing at its very best. When Zira walks through a marketplace, I can close my eyes and see, smell and hear everything she does. Zoe Marriott also did a fantastic job at making me feel like I was getting to know Zira - her thought processes and feelings quickly became understandable and show more it was so easy to care about her!

Zira grew up in an ancient temple in the mountains, and when it comes under attack she quickly realizes it is up to her to get her people to safety - when she turns to an enemy that owes her a favor, a lot of the folks following her turn against her. The web of political intrigue is fascinating y'all, and not hard to follow at all. The decisions that Zira has to make only made me love her character more. She is determined to do what is right, no matter what it means for her personally. She is pretty freakin' bad-ass.

The relationship that develops between Zira and one of her allies (I'm keeping him nameless to prevent spoilers) isn't exactly the most romantic tale you'll ever be told, but it fits the story - and the characters - so well that it ends up immensely satisfying despite the way it began. At the end of the day, all you really want is to be able to picture your characters happy together. I absolutely loved the way the two interacted, I would kill for a sequel (even though there are no loose ends to tie up).

Basically, if you're a fantasy fan then you have got to read this book. The plot, characters and writing all make it a very memorable one. I loved the setting and world-building and I couldn't get enough of the characters. So...what are you waiting for? Go! Read! show less

The kingdom of Ruan has been taken over by neighboring Sedra, and Rua and Sedorne folks live uneasily side-by-side. Fifteen-year-old orphan Zira lives in the namoa’s religious temple and trains to become a warrior. An ugly burn scar on her face is the only relic she has of her childhood, where the rest of her family was destroyed by fire.

Suddenly Zira learns that she is not who she thinks she is, but rather Zahira Elfenesh, the sole surviving member of the Ruan royal family. Her uncle, the Sedorne king Abheron, is determined to get Zahira under his control. The only way she can perhaps overthrow her powerful uncle and save her people is to unite with Sorin Mesgao, a sympathetic Sedorne lord who rules Ruan land. Will she be able to get show more along with this man who is supposedly her enemy in order to lead the way to a better future?

Reading DAUGHTER OF THE FLAMES is like watching a high-action, “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon”-like movie. In other words, it’s fantastic and utterly enthralling. Zoe Marriott has a wonderful way of vividly describing details, so that I could see every aspect of what was going on at any time in my mind.

The characters also were interesting and memorable. Zira/Zahira is an awesome female protagonist, kicking butt both literally—in suspenseful fight scenes reminiscent of Asian martial arts movies—and metaphorically—holding her own verbally in mental warfare. Zahira is a young girl who is mercilessly thrust into a position of high power and responsibility, and both her doubts and determination are highly believable.

King Abheron is a perfectly twisted antagonist with a surprisingly touching background, who occasionally does things that are so bizarre, so complex, and so inexplicable that I can definitely, without being able to explain it, see why he would want to do such things. Sorin is less well developed but still likable. I would have liked to see more of his loyalty and love for Zahira throughout the book, but I am still happy with what I got from him.

Upon finishing the book I let out a frustrated cry, so disappointed I was that the book had to end. Zoe Marriott is truly skilled at writing engrossing fantasies, and I definitely want to read more books by her in the future. show less

Another captivating cover-- and story-- by the talented Zoe Marriott! Prepare to be engulfed by the fire in this one--- Daughter of the Flames is even better than her first novel, with more action and romance, yet still containing the magical quality that grabbed my attention in The Swan Kingdom.

Once again, Marriott's characters are very well developed and a joy to read about. Zahira (or Zira) is even more of a kick-a$$ heroine than Alexandra (from Swan Kingdom). Fiery, passionate, training to be a warrior priestess but suddenly destined to be queen of her people, she's everything you could ask for in a heroine. She's not perfect, her life has been hard, but you can easily relate to her-- and isn't that one of the best things you can show more say about a character?

And with such a strong heroine, you need a hero that can match her, right? Sorin, the Lord she falls for (despite that fact that he's the "enemy" at the beginning) fits the job perfectly. He's not a wimp, but he's not too rough either--- the right medium between the two, combined with the sweet moments he has with Zahira, makes him a good choice for a husband. I can easily see why Zahira would fall in love with him!

Even better, you can clearly watch them connect, getting to know and trust each other, instead of just falling straight into lust like some other books. Although, for a YA novel, the romance does get fairly heated at times... But nothing too graphic, for those of you that are worried about it! It's a nice addition to the emotional connection you can see between them, without making their love seem cheap.

To sum it up, this is a mesmerizing story, set in a fantasy world, with a good dash of all the requirements for a perfect novel: action, suspense, romance, and the fight between good and evil. In other words, Daughter of the Flames has it all! The touching romantic spots, the adrenaline-laced fighting, and the enchanting descriptions-- together these will keep you up all night just to finish the book!

And, as much as I enjoyed her previous novel, I have to say that Daughter of the Flames is much better-- and one that you definitely shouldn't miss if you love a good fantasy novel, YA or not!

4.5 Stars! Who needs paranormal worlds all the time when you can lose yourself in a good fantasy romance like that of Daughter of the Flames? No matter the age, if you enjoy a good magical story, this is the book for you! If nothing else, the covers themselves are breathtaking-- and the story? Even more so! show less

I thought this book was even better than Zoe Marriott's last. It had all the ingedients of a great fantasy novel; a strong heroine, romance and an evil king. I paticularly liked the fact that the evil king wasn't sterotypical and had reasons for his actions. Also the fact that the heroine Zira wasn't stunning.

Like The Swan Kingdom, Daughter of the Flames centres on a young woman who must discover who and what she is during a time of turmoil and danger, but the setting here isn't green Celtic fields and forests, it's a harsh desert torn by ethnic hatreds. Zahira is a scarred, orphaned warrior, where Alexandra was a gentle healer, but both discover that even those who love them best have kept the truth from them, and they must make their own decisions, however great the risk for them and for others.
Which sounds awfully portentous. Both books are darned good reads--Zoe writes a kickass action sequence--and I'd recommend them, particularly if you're looking for fantasies with strong female characters.

Zira is training to become a warrior priestess in an ancient temple in the mountains of Ruan. Her people are a conquered people and the conquerers seem to have no resect for the traditions of her people and appear not to want to understand them. She has scars from very young, half of her face is badly injured by them but she doesn't let this hold her back.

As her 16th birthday comes her life changes forever and she has to deal with a lot of issues and feelings and her life will never be the same again.

I liked this one. Zira was an interesting complex character with a background and things weren't just straightforward for her. It was also refreshing to read a story where the default western mythos wasn't at the core of the story, this one show more has an Indian subcontinent feel to it. The tyrannical King Abheron was a little too over the top but he made me shudder whenever he was on stage, a book I'd recommend. show less