Gifting Fire by Alina Boyden – a Review

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Description:
The battle has been won, but the war is just beginning.

Although at long last Razia Khan has found peace with herself and love with her prince, Arjun, her trials are far from over. In order to save her prince and his city from certain destruction, Razia made a deal with the devil–her father, the Sultan of Nizam. Now the bill has come due.

Razia must secure the province of Zindh, a land surrounded by enemies, and loyal to a rebel queen who has survived her father’s purge. But when her old tormentor Prince Karim invades her new home and forces her into a marriage alliance, Razia finds herself trapped in the women’s quarters of a foreign palace, with her beloved Prince Arjun exiled from her side.

Now, in order to free herself, and her province, from Karim’s clutches, she must call upon all of her training as a royal princess, a cunning courtesan, and a daring thief to summon new allies and old friends for a battle that will decide her fate, and the fate of an empire.

Review:

Gifting Fire by Alina Boyden is the second book in her Stealing Thunder fantasy duology.  I am happy to say Gifting Fire was another excellent read.  Razia Khan, continues to be the wonderful heroine in this story.  When we left off in Stealing Thunder, her father, placed Princess Razia, to lead the province of Zindh, with her love Prince Arjun and her two sisters, joining her.  Soon Razia finds herself with new allies, such as Hina, whose brother was murdered by Razia’s enemy Karim.  Hina brings all her girls and their zahhaks to help Razia, and hope to defeat Karim, who she wants to kill for murdering her brother.   In a short time, things drastically change when Razia’s father comes and brings with him Karim, as they have agreed on an alliance; Razia to marry Karim.  Despite her desperation and deviance, she will agree in order to save her sisters, as well as Arjun. She manages to get Karim, with her father’s insistence, to allow her sisters to join her, as well as Hina and her maidens (who are warriors in their own right).

They travel back to Karim’s home, where Razia is trapped and pretending to be willing to marry Karim, especially with his evil parents watching her every move.  She works closely with Hina, to find a way to get help to rescue them, and playing safe for now.  We learned in the first book how smart and cunning Razia was, with her amazing ability and skills to create ways to win these wars.  Will she survive Karim and his family?

What follows is an exciting and at times tense story, with Razia using her climbing ability to get free during the wee hours to send messages to possible allies; and get back in time before she is discovered.  I really hated Karim, his mother and father, as they were truly evil.   At the same time, Boyden gave us some fantastic secondary characters that I loved, such as both of her two sisters, Hina, Arjun, as well as all those allies who were willing to risk their lives to fight the enemy.  I loved her wonderful dragon, Sultana, who was amazing, and the other zahhaks.  To tell too much more would be spoilers, and you really need to read and enjoy the wild and climatic ending.  

The last half of Gifting Fire was very exciting, tense, nonstop action, with flying dragons, aerial battles, and a heroine who stood up to the challenge.  This was also a sweet romance, as I really liked Razia and Arjun together.  Alina Boyden did a great job writing this wonderful fantasy.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher