A Question of Power: The Fire Chronicles, Book II
By Susi Wright
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a completely honest review*
A Question of Power is the second book in The Fire Chronicles series but it has enough information stuffed into it to make it a standalone novel. That may be because Wright included a preface and a prologue which I normally hate reading but I didn’t mind because I knew this was the second book and didn’t want to miss any vital information. Considering this, Wright did a swell job keeping readers informed and up-to-date with the events, history, and characters of the story.
The first thing you see when you begin the book is a map and a chart detailing the Gaian Philosophy. One of the best—and most important—aspects of the book were the Gaians themselves. They’re a fantastic race with superior abilities to humans, though they appear humanoid in form there are some distinct differences highlighted throughout the story. The protagonist is a Gaian by the name of Xandor. He is a young warrior who happens to be the best at what he does which is why he is chosen with the task of seeking out and finding other Gaians to bring them to safety. The journey seems simple enough but quickly takes many unexpected turns as Xandor finds himself continuously challenged by the world, the people, and the culture that surrounds him.
One of the things I liked about this story was its creativity. Wright put together an entirely new race, world, and government which was richly detailed and deeply explored by its many colorful inhabitants. I greatly appreciated the wide cast of characters, some of them obviously from the first book—others newly introduced in the second. But I also appreciated the connections and bonds made between characters while events unfolded.
While I did enjoy this book very much, there were a few things that bothered me. As far as the writing went, I thought it was a very unique and intriguing style. While I can’t say I’m a huge fan of it, I think Wright’s style and voice in her book is definitely strong. My biggest complaint would be the very long sentences. Details and descriptions were written quite poetically but were sometimes written in very awkward places. Sometimes it felt like they were dropped in the middle of sentences, extending them and turning many into run-on sentences—at least in the beginning of the book.
I’m not usually one who is nitpicky when it comes to grammar but I felt I didn’t quite enjoy the story as much as I could have because the style of writing was very dry. Where I should have laughed, I feel I might have missed the humor, where I should have felt the thrill of the action, the drama, and the shy romance, I felt I couldn’t quite get into it.
Again, the story itself was great, intriguing, and fantastically creative. It should be noted that I did, indeed, finish the entire book without any trouble. It’s just that the style of writing fell a smidge short. That is not to say it isn’t a book or a series worth reading as I would most definitely recommend this to fantasy readers and YA audiences alike.